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Columbia  ^nititm'tp 

THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 
Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


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CyiJ^^A^^\^    lA^y^^^Jiy  ^ 


g)torp  of  Mv  2;tte 


Columbus,  £)l)io 

Hutljeran  IBoofe  Concern 

1905 


w 


9' 


7 


3J'/ 


ORDER  OF  THB   PUBLICATION   BOARD   OF  THE    EVAN- 
GELICAL   LUTHERAN    JOINT    SYNOD    OF 
OHIO    AND    OTHER    STATES 


a>etitcatton 


To 
My  Wife  Mary, 

WHO    HAS   SHARED    MY   JOYS    AND    SORROWS    FOR 
MORE    THAN    HALF   A    CENTURY,    AND 

To 

My  Children,  Luther,  Mary, 
Henry,  Ada  and  Carl, 

IN    THE    HOPE    THAT    THEY,    WHOSE    LIVES    HAVE 

BEEN    SO    INTIMATELY   ASSOCIATED    WITH 

MINE,     WILL      HAVE      A      LOVING 

INTEREST   IN    THE   STORY   OF 

MY  HUMBLE  LIFE,  AND 

To 
The  Memory  of 

MY   DEPARTED    SON    AND    DAUGHTER,    MATTHIAS 

AND    ALICE,    WHO    ARE    NOT   DEAD,    BUT 

SLEEPING    IN    GREEN    LAWN, 

THIS    BOOK  IS   dedicated 


^torp  of  £Pp  Hife 


PREFACE. 

YIELDING  with  reluctance  to  frequent  solicitations, 
I  have  endeavored  to  write  the  story  of  my  Ufe, 
which  is  herewith  offered  to  the  pubHc. 

My  refusal  hitherto  to  undertake  such  a  work  was 
based  on  the  conviction  that  my  life  was  not  of  suf- 
ficient importance  to  merit  or  even  justify  the  under- 
taking, which,  except  to  the  friends  whose  love  mag- 
nifies my  work,  might  seem  an  effort  to  lift  into  emi- 
nence a  life  of  service,  whose  fidelity  and  devotion  is 
not  greater  than  that  of  many  brethren  with  whom  it 
was  my  pleasure  to  labor  together.  I  was  well  aware, 
moreover,  that  autobiographies,  even  when  the  subject 
is  worthy  of  the  distinction  thus  accorded,  are  diffi- 
cult to  write  with  profit  to  the  reader.  More  than 
ordinary  grace  is  requisite  to  be  perfectly  impartial 
where  self  is  concerned.  When  men  are  urged  to  write 
their  own  biography  with  a  view  of  getting  a  complete 
insight  into  the  secret  workings  of  their  souls  and  the 
hidden  motives  of  their  actions,  the  result  is  usually 
disappointing.  Even  a  thoroughly  honest  man,  though 
he  will  conscientiously  misrepresent  nothing,  will,  if 


^tttatt 


he  is  a  man  of  good  judgment,  prefer  not  unnecessarily 
to  incriminate  himself  before  the  public,  where  no 
opportunity  would  be  afforded  for  a  fair  trial,  and 
where  there  is  little  prospect  of  eliciting  the  interest 
to  make  it  fair.  It,  therefore,  always  seemed  to  me 
both  right  and  wise  to  resist  the  appeals  made  to  me 
to  write  the  story  of  my  life. 

Now  when  there  are  manifold  indications  of 
Providence  that  my  life's  work  is  done,  I  yield  to  the 
solicitations  of  my  friends  and  offer  this  book  to  the 
public.  Some  would  account  for  this  by  assuming 
that  my  faculties  are  faiHng.  As  respects  my  memory 
they  are  right,  and  as  memory  is  the  faculty  upon 
which  all  reminiscences  must  depend,  it  would  seem 
that  now  especially  I  should  refrain  from  telling  my 
story.  As  against  this  I  can  truthfully  say  that  some 
things  are  as  clear  and  distinct  in  my  memory  as  they 
can  be  in  the  human  mind,  and  that  in  the  goodness 
of  God  still  sufficient  judgment  is  left  me,  in  my  dis- 
eased and  suffering  condition,  to  know  what  is  distinct 
in  my  remembrance  and  what  is  hazy  and  unreliable, 
and  therefore  to  refrain  from  saying  what  I  am  not 
sure  of  being  the  truth,  or  to  say  it  with  such  modifica- 
tions as  will  guard  against  misleading  the  reader.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  recognize  that  some  things  in  the 


Ptetace 


history  of  the  Church  in  the  Ohio  Synod  in  which  I 
was  concerned,  may  be  told  with  advantage  to  many, 
not  because  of  myself,  who  was  concerned  in  them, 
but  of  the  events  in  which  I  was  concerned. 


Columbus,  Ohio,  March  17,  1905. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   I. 
Childhood 7 

CHAPTER   II. 
Printer 38 

CHAPTER   III. 
Student 64 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Pastor 94 

CHAPTER   V. 

Synod 192 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Home 235 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Editor 281 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Professor        320 

CHAPTER   IX. 
Author 391 

CHAPTER  X. 

Emeritus 407 

5 


CHAPTER  I. 

CHILDHOOD. 

MY  father  was  an  immigrant  from  Germany,  who 
came  to  America  in  1817.  He  was  poor,  and 
by  an  unhappy  arrangement  which  was  made  in 
those  days  for  poor  emigrants,  he  was  sold  into  ser- 
vitude, and  suffered  much  before  his  passage  was 
paid  and  he  was  released  to  seek  his  fortune  as  best 
he  could  in  a  strange  land.  As  he  had  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinet  maker,  he  soon  found  work  in  Har- 
risburg.  Pa.,  whither  Providence  directed  his  steps. 
There  he  met  and  married  my  mother,  Christina 
Reaver,  and  set  up  his  humble  home.  Both  were 
poor,  and  their  home  was  lowly  in  the  extreme;  but 
from  all  indications  and  reports  they  were  contented 
with  their  meager  means.  So  far  as  I  can  remember 
all  moved  smoothly  in  their  household,  and  father  and 
mother,  and  children  with  which  God  blessed  the  mar- 
riage, all  lived  peacefully  together. 

But  there  was  an  element  foreboding  no  good  in 
the  marriage.  My  father  was  a  Roman  Catholic  from 
Baden;  my  mother  was  a  Lutheran  from  Wuerttem- 


fetotp  of  9^v  mat 


berg.  In  that  which  is  of  the  highest  import  for  the 
wedding  of  soul  with  soul  and  for  the  education  of 
children  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  Him  who 
gives  them  for  His  purposes  and  for  His  glory,  they 
were  not  united.  My  father  was  an  honorable  man 
and  always  respected  righteousness ;  my  mother  was  a 
pious  woman  w^ho  loved  the  Saviour.  They  did  not 
clash,  because  my  mother,  in  her  comforting  apprehen- 
sion of  justification  by  faith  alone,  loved  righteousness 
even  more  ardenth  than  my  father,  and  therefore 
always  agreed  with  him  in  his  determinations  to  do 
right  at  every  cost.  There  was  thus  a  superficial  har- 
mony without  a  fundamental  agreement.  Nothing  un- 
common is  thus  presented  in  the  life  of  my  parents. 
Every  day  shows  us  the  same  situation,  in  which  there 
is  agreement  in  appearance  notwithstanding  the  disa- 
greement in  principles.  In  my  estimation  there  was 
much  lacking  for  the  right  education  in  my  father's 
house,  not  because  of  a  lack  of  good  will,  but  because 
of  unfavorable  conditions.  My  father's  Romanism 
was  not  pronounced  and  never  led  to  family  feuds. 
So  far  as  my  knowledge  extends  he  never  was  a  com- 
municant in  the  Roman  Church  after  his  arrival  in  this 
country,  and  never  even  attended  its  services,  although 
he  made  a  profession  of  the  Lutheran  faith  only  a  short 


8 


Mot^  0f  9^V  ^itt 


time  before  his  death.  The  rehgious  training  in  the 
household  was  left  to  my  mother,  without  much  help 
but  with  no  interference  on  his  part. 

This  was  for  her  a  heavy  task.  Seven  children 
were  born  within  a  period  of  about  fifteen  years,  means 
were  wanting  to  secure  help  in  the  growing  cares  and 
labors  of  the  household,  sickness  sapped  her  strength, 
and  her  duties  were  performed  with  difficulty.  Poor 
mother,  she  did  what  she  could.  With  the  deep  Luth- 
eran piety  characteristic  of  her  Suabian  home  across 
the  sea,  she  suffered  patiently  and  labored  lovingly  to 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door  and  to  lead  the  children 
to  the  Saviour  and  through  Him  to  the  Father  in 
heaven  who  loves  us  all  and  cares  for  us  all.  It  was 
thus  that  all  the  children  with  one  exception  were 
brought  to  Holy  Baptism  and  planted  into  Christ.  The 
one  exception  was  that  of  an  older  brother,  whom  the 
minister  requested  to  administer  the  sacrament  de- 
clined to  baptize  because  he  had  become  an  Anabaptist 
and  was  planning  to  establish  a  new  Baptist  sect.  My 
brother  was  thus  left  unbaptized  until  he  was  old 
enough  to  be  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
which  he  has  been  a  life-long  member.  Only  her  first 
child  became  old  enough  during  my  mother's  life-time 
to  receive  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Body  and 


9 


&m^  0t  sipp  %itt 


Blood,  and  no  inconveniences  were  shunned  to  accom- 
plish her  purpose  of  having  my  sister  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  confirmed  as  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church.  Under  many  disadvantages  my 
good  mother  trained  her  family  for  Christ  and  the 
Church  and  in  all  respects  led  the  way  by  her  own 
devotion  to  the  Saviour,  adorning  the  doctrine  which 
she  taught  by  the  life  which  she  led. 

Of  the  seven  children  born  to  my  parents  I  was 
the  fourth.  Their  stay  in  Harrisburg,  where  they  had 
established  their  humble  home,  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion. Rapid  strides  toward  securing  a  competence 
were  not  usual  in  those  days,  when  what  is  now  re- 
garded as  necessary  for  comfortable  living  was 
esteemed  to  be  wealth.  Nor  was  my  father  gifted  with 
the  talents  to  make  the  best  use  of  the  conditions 
which  formed  his  environment.  He  was  not  only 
modest,  but  exceedingly  timid  in  asserting  his  rights 
and  claiming  his  just  dues,  doing  much  of  his  work 
on  credit  and  afraid  to  approach  the  creditor  when  the 
time  for  redeeming  promises  had  come,  and  thus  his 
business  did  not  prosper.  It  was  a  daily  question  of 
daily  bread  although  enough  was  due  for  his  work  to 
secure  it. 

How  it  came  about  I  do  not  know,  but  it  came 
10 


fetors  ot  ^^  %itt 


about  that  a  few  years  after  the  establishment  of  my 
father's  home  in  Harrisburg  he  was  induced  to  remove 
to  a  lonely  place  on  the  Blue  Mountains,  where  the 
nearest  neighbor  was  a  mile  away.  Eastward  was  the 
solitary  abode  of  a  recluse,  whose  name  was  Casper 
Wick.  Southward,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  lived 
a  family  by  the  name  of  Navinger,  whose  tender  inter- 
est I  often  experienced,  and  whose  kindness  we  all 
appreciated.  Westward  I  remember  only  a  family 
who  took  little  interest  in  us  as  new-comers  and  with 
whom  we  never  had  any  particular  dealings.  North- 
ward there  seem  to  have  been  settlements  of  some 
importance,  for  from  that  source  the  medical  attend- 
ance of  our  household  in  its  isolated  condition  came. 
Our  family  was  pretty  well  secluded  from  the  outside 
world. 

There,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1828,  I  was  born. 
It  was  on  the  Blue  Mountains  in  the  County  of  Cum- 
berland, Pa.  The  place  is  said  to  be  visible  from  the 
capitol  at  Harrisburg,  and  I  have  often  from  that 
position  viewed  the  house  which  was  pointed  out  to  me 
as  the  place  of  my  birth.  Since  my  sixth  year  I  have 
never  visited  the  old  home,  not  because  when  I  became 
older  all  interest  in  the  home  of  my  childhood  was 

lost,  but  because,  though  efforts  were  made  to  reach  it, 

11 


fetorp  oC  ^v  ^itt 


it  always  proved  to  me  practically  inaccessible.  My 
recollections  of  the  mountain  farm  are  mostly  of  hard- 
ships endured  on  the  stony  fields  in  summer  and  among 
the  snow  drifts  in  winter.  But  my  childhood  was  not 
without  its  enjoyments.  There  was  ample  opportunity 
to  build  play-houses  of  the  stones  and  branches  which 
lay  around  in  profusion,  and  to  exercise  our  childish 
skill  in  the  manufacture  of  utensils  and  ornaments 
out  of  the  clay  that  was  always  ready  to  be  had  in  the 
summer  time  and  to  pile  the  snow  into  varied  shapes 
to  gratify  our  artistic  cravings.  There  was  an  abund- 
ance of  whortleberries  and  chestnuts  to  lure  the  chil- 
dren down  the  mountain  sides,  and  slips  and  foot- 
bruises  and  snake  frights  enough  to  furnish  excitement. 
Once  in  a  long  while  there  was  the  novelty  and  delight 
of  a  visit  to  neighbors,  especially  to  the  family  living 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  This  always  made  for 
us  a  grand  holiday,  on  the  remembrance  of  which  we 
feasted  for  many  a  month.  Once  or  twice  a  year  my 
father  went  to  Harrisburg,  fourteen  miles  away  by  the 
wagon  road,  although  little  more  than  half  that  dis- 
tance as  the  crow  flies.  This,  too,  was  a  notable  event 
in  our  lives  because  of  the  wonders  which  he  had  to 
tell  of  the  town  and  its  busy  life,  and  because  of  the 
toys  which  he  would  bring  and  the  sight  of  which 


12 


^tot^  Pi  ^^  %itt 


filled  us  with  amazement.  As  my  father  had  no  money 
to  squander  these  gifts  were  usually  inexpensive,  but 
to  us  children  they  were  great  and  precious  beyond 
our  little  power  of  language  to  tell.  Once  he  brought 
a  toy  that  even  astonished  my  mother  for  its  beauty 
and  ingenuity,  and  which  had  cost  the  sum  of  ten 
cents.  I  remember  how  I  sought  a  hiding  place  when 
my  father  pulled  the  string  and  a  cock  leaped  from 
the  box.  It  was  amazing.  Some  will  no  doubt  smile 
at  the  simple  joys  of  the  poor,  but  it  is  only  an  illus- 
tration of  the  truth  which  all  close  observers  of  life 
have  recognized  that,  so  far  as  money  can  contribute 
to  human  happiness  at  all,  large  sums  are  not  neces- 
sary. I\Iy  observations,  in  a  long  life  that  afforded 
ample  opportunities  for  seeing  and  judging,  confirm 
the  conviction  formed  by  searching  the  Scriptures, 
that  wealth  never  brings  contentment  and  is  attended 
by  sorrows  and  griefs  rather  than  comfort  and  enjoy- 
ment. I  have  often  seen  that  a  dime  can  contribute  to 
human  happiness  what  a  million  never  can. 

So  far  as  I  can  remember,  my  parents  never  went 
to  church  during  our  residence  at  the  rpountain  home, 
and  I  never  saw  a  church  until  my  sixth  year,  when 
the  family  moved  away  from  the  place  of  my  birth. 

But  that  does  not  mean  that  religion  was  banished 

13 


fetors  oe  99v  Jiitt 


from  our  home.  It  was  not  ignored,  though  its  cul- 
tivation was  not  favored  by  the  circumstances.  My 
mother  taught  us  children  the  way  of  righteousness 
according  to  the  ability  which  God  had  given  her,  and 
showed  us  the  way  to  heaven  according  to  all  the  light 
which  she  possessed.  We  were  all  impressed  with  our 
accountability  to  our  Maker  for  all  our  words  and 
ways,  and  prayers  were  taught  us,  and  the  duty  of 
saying  them  daily  when  we  retired  for  the  night  was 
carefully  enforced.  In  consequence  of  such  conscien- 
tious concern  for  our  spiritual  welfare  as  Christians 
who  by  baptism  had  put  on  Christ,  we  were  a  God- 
fearing family.  In  my  recollections  of  the  early  days 
in  my  mountain  home  some  pangs  of  conscience  on 
account  of  childish  wrong-doing  present  themselves, 
which  indicate  that  my  mother  had  not  failed  to  instil 
into  my  soul  a  horror  of  sin  and  a  desire  to  escape 
its  condemnations.  That  is  not  all  that  should  be  taught 
children,  but  the  little  of  revealed  truth  that  was  given 
me  continued  to  exert  its  power  in  my  after  life  and 
prepared  me  for  the  fuller  instruction  which  in  the 
good  providence  of  God  I  then  obtained.  What  I  re- 
ceived from  my  good  mother,  who  had  only  the  ele- 
mentary education  of  a  parochial  school  among  the 

vine-clad  hills  of  Wuerttemberg,  protected  me  against 

14 


^totv  ot  9^^  ilite 


the  virulent  assaults  of  Deists  and  Atheists  to  which  I 
was  subjected  in  later  times.  As  I  remember  these 
things  the  thought  compels  expression,  that  many  an 
evil  would  be  averted  if  mothers  would,  according  to 
the  grace  that  is  given  them  and  the  ability  thus  in 
them,  impress  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  though  much 
might  be  lacking  in  its  completeness.  My  mother  was 
no  theologian,  and  for  her  office  of  motherhood  she 
had  no  need  to  be ;  but  she  was  a  Christian  woman  who 
sincerely  regarded  the  Church  as  well  as  the  temporal 
welfare  of  her  children.  She  was  not  learned,  but  I 
owe  more  to  her  for  my  Christian  character  and  con- 
scientious devotion  to  duty  than  to  all  the  schools 
which  I  have  attended  and  to  all  the  books  which  I 
have  read  since  she  entered  into  the  rest  v/hich  remains 
for  the  people  of  God.  Oh!  that  Christian  mothers 
would  more  adequately  realize  the  high  position  and 
gracious  opportunity  which  God  has  given  them  in  the 
kingdom  of  grace!  It  would  be  a  potent  protection 
against  many  a  fad  about  women's  rights  and  a  benefi- 
cent factor  in  securing  the  performance  of  women's 
duties.  My  mother  never  had  the  opportunity  to  array 
herself  in  gorgeous  dress  and  sparkling  jewels  and 
appear  as  a  queen  in  the  splendors  of  society,  though 
she  was  worthy  of  the  highest  honors  that  society  can 


15 


fetotp  Dt  9^^  JLitt 


give,  but  she  had  the  opportunity  of  training  her  chil- 
dren in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  and 
she  embraced  it.  All  honor  to  her  memory ;  she  did 
what  she  could,  and  I,  after  a  long  experience  of  the 
world's  ways,  must  testify  that  she  could  do  much  and 
conscientiously  did  it.  At  least  in  my  family  let  her 
memory  be  honored ! 

In  1834,  when  I  was  in  my  sixth  year,  our  sojourn 
on  the  mountain  ceased.  The  family's  residence  there 
of  seven  or  eight  years  was  not  unprosperous.  Much 
was  idyllic  in  that  mountain  home,  but  much  was  real 
hardship  and  self-denial.  I  do  not  think  that  my  father 
and  mother  ever  fully  enjoyed  the  delights  of  that 
mountain  home,  and  of  course,  we  children  were  not 
capable  of  comparing  it  with  other  homes  and  passing 
a  judgment  as  regards  their  worth.  Nor  were  we 
children  asked  in  this  regard.  It  was  really  not  a 
question  of  taste,  but  of  subsistence.  My  parents  de- 
cided that  it  would  be  better,  now  that  some  little 
pecuniary  means  had  by  strict  economy  been  saved,  to 
move  to  another  place.  There  was  a  village,  half  way 
between  Harrisburg  and  Carlisle,  which  attracted  my 
father's  attentioii.  It  was  on  the  line  of  traffic  between 
Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg.  The  name  of  the  village 
was  Hogestown.     Its  location  indicated  that  it  would 


16 


&tot^  Dt  9$v  ^itt 


be  a  place  of  some  activity  and  business.  There  my 
father  determined  to  locate.  He  had  saved  something 
more  than  a  hundred  dollars  from  his  labors  on  the 
mountain,  and  thought  that  it  would  be  a  good  invest- 
ment to  buy  a  little  house  in  Hogestown.  He  accord- 
ingly bought  it.  The  house  was  a  tumble-down  affair, 
though  the  lot  on  which  it  stood  was  not  objectionable. 
The  place  suited  the  family  and  we  removed  to  the  new 
home.  Though  I  remember  almost  nothing  of  the  re- 
moval, I  remember  almost  everything  of  the  place  and 
its  surroundings.  It  was  a  desolate  hamlet,  but  my 
father  thought  that  he  could  make  a  living  there.  The 
stage-coach,  which  was  the  means  of  business  commu- 
nication between  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg  and  all 
intervening  towns  and  villages,  passed  through  it  with 
its  passengers,  and  large  six-horse  teams  hauling  mer- 
chandise passed  through  every  day.  It  was  thus  on  a 
small  scale  a  busy  place,  although  the  contribution 
v\^hich  it  furnished  to  the  business  was  very  small. 
There  my  father,  with  the  little  savings  that  were 
made  from  the  farm  on  the  mountains,  purchased  a  log 
house.  It  was  the  first  and  only  homestead  that  he 
ever  owned. 

In  the  Hogestown  home  my  school  education,  such 
as  it  was,  began.     Schools  were  then  established  by 


2  17 


&mv  ot  9Bi^  JLitt 


private  enterprise  and  maintained  by  individual  sub- 
scription. Hogestown  and  vicinity  had  a  sufficient 
population  to  invite  teachers,  and  every  year  for  several 
months,  at  least,  an  opportunity  was  afforded  the  chil- 
dren to  obtain  an  elementary  education.  When  there 
was  no  school  in  the  village,  sometimes  country  dis- 
tricts offered  the  desired  benefit  to  the  town  children, 
which  some  gladly  embraced  notwithstanding  the  in- 
conveniences. It  was  to  such  a  country  school,  two 
miles  away,  that  I  was  sent  to  learn  the  English  alpha- 
bet and  form  some  acquaintance  with  English  words. 
This  was  attended  with  a  difficulty  that  placed  me  at  a 
disadvantage.  The  two  miles  walk  to  school  in  the 
morning,  and  home  again  in  the  evening  was  not  the 
trouble.  Though  I  was  but  six  years  old  the  daily  trip 
was  an  enjoyment.  There  were  other  children  who 
went  there  from  the  village  and  our  journeys  were  full 
of  fun  and  sometimes  presented  incidents  which  ren- 
dered them  full  of  adventure.  Many  a  time  we  had 
the  pleasure  which  comes  of  heroic  achievement  when 
we  killed  a  snake,  and  especially  when  we  came  off 
conquerors  over  a  swarm  of  bumble-bees,  whose  honey 
we  were  determined  to  have  at  every  cost.  Our  victory 
was  as  sweet  as  the  honey  which  was  our  immediate 

reward,  and  the  numerous  stings  infficted  by  the  in- 

18 


fetot^  of  ^v  ^itt 


sects  in  the  defence  of  their  nests  and  their  hoards 
counted  for  nothing  in  our  exultation.  It  was  an  ex- 
ample of  the  follies  and  attending  cruelties  which  we 
later  found  illustrated  in  a  thousand  forms,  indicating 
the  vanity  of  human  glory  and  human  pleasures.  But 
it  was  not  the  journey  and  its  incidents  that  caused 
me  trouble.  The  language  spoken  at  home  was  Ger- 
man, and  all  the  English  I  knew  was  a  phrase  which 
my  father  repeated  on  various  occasions,  but  the  mean- 
ing of  which  was  not  clear  to  me.  So  I  had  to  learn 
not  only  the  letters  and  how  to  combine  them  into  syl- 
lables and  words,  but  had  the  task  also  of  finding  out 
what  the  words  meant.  As  far  as  I  remember  the 
mortifications  to  which  I  was  subjected  on  this  account 
were  borne  without  much  detriment  to  my  standing 
among  my  associates,  and  as  I  had  some  aptitude  for 
learning  language,  the  difficulty  was  soon  overcome 
and  my  progress  was  satisfactory  to  all  concerned.  It 
required  but  a  few  months  to  render  me  equal  to  my 
schoolmates  in  the  knowledge  imparted,  and  my  little 
knowledge  of  the  German  gave  me  a  point  in  excess 
of  the  demands  made  on  pupils. 

While  it  seems  to  me  of  little  profit  to  detail  the 
experiences  of  my  life  in  those  early  days,  there  are 

two  observations  which  I  think  worthy  of  mention. 

19 


fbtotv  ot  ^j>  %iit 


The  circumstances  appeared  to  require  that  not  only 
both  sexes,  but  children  of  widely  different  ages  should 
be  together  in  the  same  school.  Even  at  the  early  age 
when  I  first  attended  school,  I  saw  and  heard  things 
which  never  occurred  in  the  innocence  of  our  home 
life  and  which  I  looked  upon  with  astonishment  if  not 
with  horror.  Our  teacher  was  not  indifferent  about  the 
morals  of  his  pupils,  and  much  occurred  between  the 
older  boys  and  girls  that  he  probably  would  not  have 
endured  for  a  moment  if  he  had  known  it.  But  he 
did  not  know  it  and  had  little  chance  of  knowing  it. 
While  children  of  both  sexes  may  be  profitably  placed 
in  the  same  school,  the  co-education  of  older  pupils 
is  always  a  menace  to  morals.  My  observation  in  early 
years  has  made  me  an  opponent  of  co-education  on  this 
ground,  while  the  opposition  became  fixed  in  later 
years  by  a  better  insight  into  the  ways  of  God  in  the 
government  of  the  world  and  the  difference  in  callings 
assigned  to  the  sexes,  and  the  consequent  difference  to 
be  observed  in  their  education  as  to  matter  and  manner. 
This  remark,  too,  I  deem  it  best  not  to  suppress,  that 
people  are  very  unwise  who  suppose  that  children  do 
not  notice  words  and  actions  which  pertain  to  matters 
beyond  their  years.  When  their  moral  instincts  are 
affected  they  may  not  understand  the  import  of  what 


20 


fetors  ot  ^v  t^iit 


they  hear  and  see,  but  they  will  notice  it  and  under- 
stand it  later,  and  not  so  easily  forget  it. 

For  the  first  time  I  received  at  Hogestown  some 
public  religious  instruction.  There  was  no  church 
there  of  any  denomination,  but  there  were  Christian 
people  there  and  congregations  with  churches  in  the 
vicinity.  Mechanicsburg  was  but  three  miles  distant, 
where  several  denominations  had  houses  of  worship. 
Not  quite  as  far  away  was  a  Presbyterian  church  at 
Silver  Spring,  and  a  Lutheran  church  existed  near 
Kingston.  To  the  latter  our  family  occasionally  went 
for  worship,  and  there  my  oldest  sister  was  confirmed 
when  she  reached  the  age  of  fourteen.  As  it  was  fully 
three  miles  to  this  church  I  could  receive  little  benefit 
from  my  instruction  that  was  given  there.  Neither 
was  ministering  to  the  religious  wants  of  the  children 
any  part  of  the  purpose  for  which  the  subscription 
schools  to  which  I  had  access  were  established.  But 
several  active  Presbyterians,  with  the  co-operation  of 
members  of  some  other  churches  conducted  a  Sunday 
School  in  our  village.  This,  in  addition  to  my  mother's 
teaching,  supplied  some  of  the  most  urgent  needs  of 
my  soul.  In  after  years  I  often  felt  the  lack  of  a  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  Biblical  history  and  especially 
of  a  better  knowledge  of  the  way  of  salvation,  such  as 


21 


fetot^  ot  st^p  mtt 


is  g-iven  in  Luther's  Small  Catechism.  This  little  book 
was  not  among  my  mother's  very  limited  store  of  re- 
ligious treasures,  or  if  it  was  contained  among  the 
appendices  to  her  old  Bible,  she  never  used  it  to  impart 
instruction  and  I  never  knew  it ;  and  of  course,  such 
a  book  could  have  no  place  in  our  village  Sunday 
School.  Indeed,  little  could  be  expected  there  for  the 
enlightenment  of  the  understanding,  and  little  was 
done.  Notwithstanding  this  I  have  grateful  recollec- 
tions of  the  school,  and  profited  by  what  it  furnished. 
Encouragement  was  given  to  the  memorizing  of 
Scripture  passages  and  church  hymns,  and  I  committed 
many  to  memory  and  have  retained  a  goodly  number 
to  this  day.  The  selection  of  texts  and  hymns  v/as 
left  to  the  children  and  therefore  was  not  always  the 
best,  and  no  effort  was  made  to  explain  or  impress 
the  meaning.  So  little  did  I  then  understand  of  these 
things  that  I  once  asked  my  father  if  I  should  not  add 
to  the  prayers  which  mother  had  taught  me,  and  the 
'T  lay  me  down  to  sleep,"  which  had  been  added  from 
another  source,  a  stanza  or  two  from  Pope's  "Univer- 
sal Prayer,"  of  whose  heathenism  I  had  not  even  a 
suspicion.  But  God  is  merciful  and  blesses  us  above 
all  we  can  ask  or  think,  and  I  learned  some  things  in 

the  Sunday   School  whose  import   dawned  upon  me 

22 


hUtv  ot  S9^  %itt 


when  I  grew  older,  and  exerted  a  beneficial  influence 
when  mother  was  gone  and  I  needed  it  most.  No 
doubt  this  influence  was  largely  dependent  on  the  foun- 
dation which  she  laid  in  my  soul  and  the  constant  care 
which  she  exercised  to  have  me  walk  in  the  ways  oi 
the  Lord.  My  conduct,  I  am  glad  to  note,  was  gen- 
erally satisfactory  to  her  and  was  frequently  com- 
mended. One  instance  that  brought  this  to  my  knowl- 
edge is  inerasably  fixed  in  my  memory.  She  asked 
me  one  day  to  do  something  which  w^as  very  distaste- 
ful to  me.  Instead  of  immediately  obeying  I  used  an 
insolent  expression  which  I  had  learned  from  my  asso- 
ciates. She  looked  at  me  with  an  expression  of  pain, 
simply  saying,  "And  this  from  you,  who  had  always 
been  my  good  boy."  She  then  quit  her  work  and  sat 
down  and  wept.  Did  it  break  her  heart?  If  she  had 
known  the  grief  which  I  endured  on  account  of  it, 
she  would  surely  have  forgotten  her  own  in  pity  for 
mine.  After  seventy  years  its  remembrance  is  still  a 
pang,  while  she  for  nearly  that  time  has  had  fulness 
of  joy  in  her  heavenly  home,  where  our  meeting  shall 
carry  w4th  it  no  pangs  of  earth.  Evil  communications 
were  beginning  to  corrupt  the  good  manners  which 
she  had  instilled,   and  the  wonders   of   God's   grace 

never  seem  to  me  greater  than  when  I  view  my  early 

23 


fetotp  of  9$v  ^itt 


life  after  our  Father  in  Heaven  had  taken  her  to  the 
mansions  of  bHss,  and  left  me  without  her  guidance 
in  the  perils  which  beset  me. 

The  disease  which  was  gradually  destroying  my 
mother's  vitality  increased  and  my  father  with  her 
concurrence  concluded  to  return  to  Harrisburg,  where 
her  brother  and  his  family  were  living  and  might  be  a 
comfort  to  her  in  her  protracted  sickness.  After 
months  of  suffering,  which  was  endured  with  patience 
and  in  the  blessed  hope  of  glory  through  the  Saviour 
of  sinners,  she  departed  this  life  of  sorrow  to  enter 
into  the  joys  of  our  Lord.  Dr.  Sprecher,  who  is  still 
living  as  I  write,  and  who  was  then  pastor  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  was  called  to  minister  to  her,  but 
only  when  it  was  apparent  that  she  was  dying.  I  was 
sent  to  call  him,  and  he  came  without  much  delay. 
How  it  was  all  brought  about  was  never  clear  to  me. 
I  was  a  stranger  in  the  town  and  merely  a  child,  but 
somehow  I  found  the  residence  of  the  Lutheran  pastor. 
Our  family  were  strangers  in  the  city,  but  somehow 
he  found  the  house  in  which  my  mother  was  dying. 
It  all  seems  to  me  the  more  inexplicable  because  I  re- 
member that  it  was  with  sobs  that  I  tried  to  make  my 
errand  known  to  the  lady  who  answered  the  knock  at 

the  door,  and  the  pastor  himself  did  not  appear  to  ask 

24 


fetots  ot  9??  %iit 


any  questions.  At  any  rate  the  object  of  my  mission 
was  accomplished,  and  God  supplied  what  was  lacking 
in  the  messenger's  words  to  make  his  message  clear. 
Mother  died  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  belong- 
ing to  Zion  Lutheran  Congregation.  Dr.  Sprecher 
officiated.  The  services  were  comforting,  and  mother's 
body  was  laid  away  to  await  the  resurrection  of  the 
just,  when  it  should  share  the  blessedness  of  the  puri- 
fied spirit. 

My  father  was  left  with  four  children.  We  were 
seven ;  but  an  older  sister  and  a  younger  brother  died 
on  the  mountain  and  the  youngest  of  the  family  was 
taken  away  at  Hogestown.  His  secular  affairs  were 
not  prosperous.  The  expenses  entailed  by  the  sickness 
and  death  of  my  mother  left  him  nothing  for  the  sup- 
port of  his  children.  My  sister,  then  almost  fifteen, 
was  needed  at  home  to  keep  house ;  an  older  brother, 
about  eleven,  secured  a  situation  in  which  he  could 
support  himself.  I  was  then  about  nine  years  old,  and 
my  father  with  the  three  children  endeavored  to  keep 
house.  It  was  housekeeping  under  many  difficulties. 
The  income  from  my  father's  work  was  small,  and  the 
management  of  receipts  and  expenditures  was  not  the 
wisest.     Poverty  pinched  us  and  comforts  were  few. 

My  father  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  wants  of  the 

25 


^m^  ot  9$^  %iU 


household,  but  so  far  as  this  was  concerned  made  me 
a  kind  of  partner  in  his  business,  in  which  I  was  re- 
quired to  render  such  assistance  as  my  strength  per- 
mitted, and  access  was  given  me  to  all  the  proceeds. 
In  this  way  I  could,  after  a  fashion,  provide  for  the 
necessaries  of  life ;  but  as  I  had  thus  in  some  measure 
the  support  of  the  family  without  the  management  of 
the  business  under  my  care,  we  did  not  get  along  well. 
I  could  use  the  money  I  thought  necessary  for  our  live- 
lihood, but  sometimes  when  business  bills  were  due 
there  was  no  money  on  hand.  It  was  a  loose  and  hap- 
hazard life  that  could  not  bring  prosperity  and  make 
us  even  comfortable.  In  respect  to  our  religious  and 
moral  training  nothing  of  any  moment  was  done,  or 
could  under  such  circumstances  be  expected.  To  rem- 
edy the  evil  my  father  married  again,  as  it  was  in 
every  way  best  that  he  should. 

Our  new  mother  was  a  well-disposed  woman  of  a 
good  Lutheran  family,  though  herself  little  interested 
in  church  work  or  in  matters  of  religion.  As  is  usual 
in  such  cases,  we  children  did  not  take  kindly  to  the 
new  mistress  of  the  house.  My  sister  soon  left  us  to 
make  her  home  with  her  uncle.  There  then  remained 
but  two  of  us  under  the  parental  roof,  and  all  of  us 
w^ent  our  way  without  much  collision.    In  truth,  there 


26 


fetorp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


was  little  occasion  for  conflict  and  contention.  My 
father  went  about  his  business  as  usual,  and  we  two 
boys  went  to  school,  so  that  my  stepmother  had  little 
to  interfere  with  her  management  of  the  house.  Nor 
was  she  at  all  disposed  to  tyrannize  over  us.  She  was 
reasonable  in  her  demands  and  not  unkind  in  her 
treatment  of  us.  What  was  wanting  in  our  household 
was  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  means  much.  Indeed, 
that  means  everything;  for  not  only  the  joyful  hope 
of  heaven  depends  upon  it,  but  the  subduing  of  the 
selfishness  that  produces  jarring  and  jangling,  and  the 
inculcation  of  love  that  produces  gentleness  and  pa- 
tience depends  upon  it  as  well. 

When  my  father  returned  to  Harrisburg  he  estab- 
lished  a  meat  market.  Facilities  for  this  were  afforded 
by  my  uncle,  who  was  a  butcher  and  had  a  well  estab- 
lished trade  in  meat.  Father  might  have  prospered 
fairly  well  in  this  business  if  he  had  not  been  exces- 
sively timid  in  making  collections.  But  as  I  in  my 
ninth  year  became  virtually  his  financial  secretary, 
success  was  hardly  possible.  So  diffident  and  timor- 
ous was  he  that  when  at  the  time  of  political  troubles 
at  Harrisburg,  generally  called  the  buckshot  war,  he 
furnished  meat  for  the  state  troops  to  the  amount  of 
more  than  two  hundred  dollars,  he  could  not  be  per- 

27 


fetorp  of  m  ^itt 


suaded  to  go  to  the  bank  and  get  the  money  when  the 
proper  papers  with  check  were  sent  him.  How  it  came 
about  that  upon  my  presentation  of  the  paper  the 
money  was  paid  to  me,  a  child  eleven  years  old,  is  still 
a  mystery  to  me.  But  many  similar  cases  of  later 
years  have  taught  me  that  God  has  ways  which  are 
not  known  to  bankers,  and  that  He  keeps  His  prom- 
ises even  if  He  must  work  miracles  still,  though  the 
time  demanding  miracles  for  the  establishment  of  His 
Church  and  the  attestation  of  His  heavenly  truth  is 
past. 

My  life  during  this  period  had  many  hardships. 
It  never  was  one  of  ease,  and  when  I  came  to  under- 
stand what  that  means,  I  never  desired  that  it  should 
be.  It  seems  to  me  now,  when  I  review  those  early 
days,  that  my  father  never  knew  the  limits  of  endur- 
ance in  childhood  and  youth,  and  that  without  the 
least  thought  of  cruelty  he  expected  of  a  child  what 
could  be  rendered  only  by  a  man.  I  do  not  think  he 
was  peculiar  in  this.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  it  is  rather  the  common  lot.  Indeed,  I 
am  not  sure  that  I  was  perfectly  free  from  it  in  the 
early  treatment  of  my  own  children  or  that  even  now 
I  adequately  distinguish  between  laziness  and  inability, 
not  only  in  children  but  in  older  people.     No  doubt 


2S 


mntv  nt  9^v  ^itt 


many  a  wrong  is  done  by  requiring  of  a  child  what 
only  a  man  can  do,  and  of  a  man  with  small  endow- 
ment, what  only  a  man  of  larger  powers  could  accom- 
plish. As  it  seems  to  me  now  my  father  was  mistaken 
in  his  estimate  of  human  capability  and  endurance  in 
childhood  and  youth,  and  that  in  consequence  he  often 
did  me  unintentional  wrong.  I  remember  no  instance 
in  which  he  persisted  in  wrong  doing  when  the  appeal 
was  made  to  his  conscience  and  the  matter  was  set  in 
its  proper  light.  But  the  fact  remains  the  same  that 
he  sometimes  required  of  me  what  I  could  not  with 
all  my  effort  accomplish,  and  sometimes  by  my  efforts 
I  did  accomplish  only  with  injury  to  myself.  An  in- 
stance in  illustration  may  be  mentioned.  When  we 
were  in  pecuniary  straits  he  required  me,  at  scarcely 
twelve  years  of  age,  to  haul  bricks  from  the  kiln.  I 
endured  the  hardship  of  catching  them  and  loading 
them  in  the  cart  as  they  were  pitched  from  the  higher 
layers  in  the  kiln,  though  this  was  far  beyond  the 
power  of  any  ordinary  boy  of  my  age.  And  as  driv- 
ing a  cart  was  not  a  part  of  my  education  at  the  time, 
it  was  no  wonder  that,  with  a  horse  incapable  of  doing 
the  work  as  I  was  myself,  an  accident  on  a  steep  ap- 
proach to  the  canal  to  be  crossed  to  reach  the  city  from 

the  brickyard,  crippled  the  horse  by  a  fall  down  the  em- 

29 


fetorp  ot  9^p  Jiitt 


bankment  and  drove  me  home  and  to  bed  in  despair, 
without  looking  after  the  animal  that  had  tumbled 
down  or  reporting  the  calamity  at  home.  My  father 
did  not  even  rebuke  me  when  he  found  me  in  bed  after 
discovering  the  calamity  which  had  befallen  us.  But 
the  loss  into  which  the  expected  profit  was  converted, 
increased  his  financial  troubles. 

In  the  straits  to  which  my  father  was  put  to  make 
ends  meet,  he  resolved  upon  a  venture  which  I  remem- 
ber with  little  pleasure  and  much  regret.  There  was 
a  German  tavern  in  the  southern  part  of  Harrisburg 
which  had  become  vacant  and  which  he  concluded  to 
rent.  To  that  place  he  brought  his  second  wife  and 
there  she  began  her  government  of  the  house.  My 
sister  had  left  us  and  we  two  children  still  attended 
school,  while  my  father  still  went  to  market  with  his 
meat.  But  among  the  boarders  and  roomers  there 
were  persons  who  were  not  suitable  associates  for 
Christian  people  and  there  were  sometimes  gatherings 
and  performances  which  even  then  seemed  to  me  of 
questionable  propriety.  A  few  of  those  who  made 
their  home  with  us  were  pronounced  and  foulmouthed 
infidels,  who  in  their  cups  sometimes  uttered  blas- 
phemies  shocking   even   to   worldlings   of    the   more 

decent  sort.     It  was  a  bad  school  for  one  who  had 

30 


fetors  Dt  ^^  %iU 


still  maintained  the  reputation  of  a  good  boy.  But  I 
was  not  an  apt  pupil.  Opportunities  were  ample  for 
learning  wickedness  in  a  variety  of  forms,  but  I  con- 
tracted no  bad  habits  and  came  out  of  the  fiery  trial 
w^ithout  a  blemish  upon  my  good  name,  if  one  shameful 
occurrence  at  a  dinner,  where  wine  flowed  freely  and 
where  I  was  sinned  against  rather  than  sinning,  is  not 
to  be  set  down  as  an  exception.  I  do  not  doubt  that 
the  good  principles  wdiich  my  mother  had  instilled, 
in  consequence  of  which  my  attitude  towards  all  un- 
godliness induced  my  companions  to  call  me  the 
preacher,  here  also  by  the  goodness  of  God  protected 
me  from  the  ruin  that  was  imminent. 

The  venture  at  the  hotel  was  not  a  financial  suc- 
cess. Perhaps,  too,  the  kind  of  life  which  was  inci- 
dent to  the  business,  at  least  as  it  was  conducted  in 
this  case,  was  not  entirely  congenial  to  my  parents. 
At  any  rate  they  decided,  after  a  few  years'  trial,  to 
abandon  it.  Neither  did  the  meat  business  provide 
sufficiently  for  our  needs.  The  result  of  a  family  con- 
sultation accordingly  was  to  return  to  Hogestown, 
where  my  father  still  owned  the  small  property  which 
he  had  bought  when  we  left  the  mountain  farm,  and 
vv^here  there  seemed  to  be  a  favorable  market  for  meat 


31 


fetor?  ot  ^v  ^itt 


as  well  as  for  cabinet  ware.    To  Hogestown  therefore 
we  returned. 

I  was  then  about  twelve  years  old.  My  schooling 
was  not  neglected,  and  such  opportunities  as  were 
afforded  my  father  readily  embraced  to  further  my 
education.  But  as  before,  he  utilized  such  gifts  and 
powers  as  I  possessed  to  help  in  the  support  of  the 
family.  This  again  subjected  me  to  hardships.  One 
case  may  be  mentioned  as  an  example.  A  farmer  in 
the  neighborhood  resolved  to  build  a  new  house.  To 
save  money  he  determined  to  make  the  brick  on  his 
own  farm.  As  I  had  a  little  experience  in  that  line  it 
was  not  difficult  for  my  father  to  secure  me  a  position 
as  ofT-bearer,  whose  duty  it  is  to  carry  the  bricks  and 
lay  them  in  proper  position  to  dry  as  fast  as  the 
moulder  prepares  them.  The  work  is  not  very  hard 
to  a  man  accustomed  to  it.  It  was  very  hard  for  me. 
The  first  days  subjected  me  to  an  ordeal  that  was  ter- 
rible. The  pain  in  my  back  was  such  that  I  would 
pronounce  it  intolerable  if  I  had  not  suffered  it  and 
lived.  Of  course,  my  parents  could  not  realize  the  tor- 
tures which  I  endured,  and  I  went  on  with  the  work, 
and  did  not  die.  I  have  passed  through  many  a  trial 
since  and  continued  to  live  and  praise  God  for  His 

great  deliverance.    Time  trains  and  tames. 

32 


fetorp  ot  9$^  %iU 


After  a  while  the  work  was  done  without  much 
difficulty  and  with  no  complaints.  But  still  the  wants 
of  my  father's  house  were  not  adequately  supplied. 

About  this  time  some  ill  wind  blew  to  our  house  a 
German  wanderer  who  had  some  money  but  had  no 
home.  How  it  came  about  I  do  not  know,  but  he  be- 
came a  partner  in  my  father's  business  and  a  boarder 
at  our  table.  I  remember  very  little  about  him  except 
that  I  was  sent  to  the  store  nearly  every  day  to  get  a 
quart  of  rum,  and  that  his  face  had  a  purple  hue  which 
seemed  to  me  unnatural.  How  he  and  my  father  sep- 
arated and  what  ever  became  of  him  I  do  not  know. 
But  his  sottish  influence  in  the  household  was  only 
evil  continually. 

It  is  not  edifying  to  trace  the  history  of  a  family 
in  which  the  Word  of  God  does  not  reign,  and  least 
of  all  to  report  its  transgressions  and  shortcomings. 
But  ours  had  not  consciously  renounced  the  Saviour, 
and  God  had  not  forsaken  it.  My  father,  though  orig- 
inally a  Romanist,  died  according  to  all  accessible  tes- 
timony, in  the  full  assurance  of  faith  in  the  forgiveness 
of  sins  through  the  Redeemer's  blood;  and  my  step- 
mother in  after  years,  so  far  as  man  could  see,  con- 
fided in  the  truth  which  the  Lutheran  Church  teaches, 

and  in  it  found  her  comfort. 
3  33 


fetors  of  9^v  fiitt 


The  family  life  at  Hogestown  at  this  period  is  not 
a  pleasant  recollection  and  my  continuance  with  it  was 
of  short  duration.  One  evening  during  my  father's 
absence  there  were  visitors  at  our  house  whose  conduct 
constrained  me  to  utter  a  protest.  Perhaps  I  was  in 
the  wrong,  for  with  a  tender  conscience  there  was 
strong  passion  associated  in  my  soul.  My  motlier 
struck  me  for  what  seemed  to  her  an  impudent  inter- 
ference. It  was  the  only  time  that  she  ever  inflicted 
corporal  punishment  upon  me.  It  was  the  last  time 
that  she  had  an  opportunity.  Upon  my  father's  return 
it  was  decided  that  the  peace  of  the  family  required 
my  removal.  Measures  were  at  once  taken  to  execute 
the  decree.  A  place  was  found  for  me  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade  in  the  establishment  of  Baab  &  Hum- 
mel, at  Harrisburg,  and  thither  I  was  transferred. 
This  was  in  the  autumn  of  1841,  in  the  fourteenth  year 
of  my  age. 

The  terms  of  my  apprenticeship  were  not  made 
known  to  me.  Judging  from  my  father's  business 
methods,  or  rather  lack  of  method  as  hitherto  known 
to  me,  and  from  subsequent  experiences,  there  were  no 
definite  terms,  but  only  the  understanding  that  I  was 
to  be  provided  with  board  and  clothing  while  I  was 
learning  the  trade,  without  any  limit   of  time.     Of 


34 


fetot^  of  9$v  ^itt 


course,  I  was  not  consulted  except  so  far  as  my  will- 
ingness to  become  a  printer  was  concerned.  This  want 
of  a  definite  contract  might  under  the  circumstances 
have  wrought  much  injury  to  me.  But  God  cared  for 
me  and  all  went  well,  though  some  difficulties  which 
might  easily  have  been  avoided  had  later  to  be  over- 
come. 

My  departure  from  home  was  not  with  much  sor- 
row or  regret.  It  was  not  a  home  of  happy  experi- 
ences from  which  I  was  torn  away  unwillingly.  As 
I  remember  the  parting,  it  was  rather  an  occurrence  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  nature,  about  v/hich  no  ado 
was  to  be  made.  It  was  thought  best  that  I  should 
leave,  and  I  concurred.  We  therefore  parted  in  peace. 
But  we  parted !  My  parents  committed  the  care  for 
me  to  others,  and  thenceforth,  so  far  as  appearances 
indicate,  their  consciences  did  not  impel  them  to  exer- 
cise any  further  care.  As  all  went  well  under  the  pro- 
vision made,  this  was  not  unreasonable.  If  it  had 
gone  ill  with  me,  they  no  doubt,  to  the  extent  of  their 
limited  ability,  would  have  supplied  my  needs.  But 
God  rules  and  it  did  not  go  ill  with  me.  They  put  me 
under  the  care  of  strangers,  and  they  were  right  in  as- 
suming that,  so  long  as  no  reports  were  made  to  the 

contrary,  these  strangers  were  exercising  the  proper 

35 


fetorp  ot  9$v  ^itt 


care  for  my  welfare.  In  their  conditions  they  thought 
that  they  did  what  they  could.  But  we  parted  without 
securing  the  tie  which  should  have  bound  us  together 
notwithstanding  the  parting. 

But  it  was  no  small  thing  to  me  that  before  I  was 
fourteen  years  old  I  should  be  thrown  upon  my  own 
poor  resources.  Since  then  I  lived  among  strangers 
and  had  no  home  in  the  proper  sense  until  after  many 
years  of  labor  and  endurance  I  established  a  home  of 
my  own  by  my  marriage  to  a  wife  who  has  shared  my 
fortune  until  this  day.  My  parents  were  poor  and 
unable  to  help  me,  and  even  when  I  was  sick  they 
could  not  offer  me  the  tender  nursing  of  a  home.  From 
the  time  that  I  was  brought  to  Harrisburg  as  a  print- 
er's apprentice,  they  never  were  able  to  give  me  a  dol- 
lar to  support  or  comfort  me,  as  indeed  the  conditions 
were  never  such  as  to  impose  on  them  any  such  bur- 
den. My  parting  from  the  family  at  Hogestown  was 
for  this  world  final. 

I  thus  entered  upon  a  new  career.  A  new  field 
was  opened  to  me,  and  its  cultivation  was  essentially 
left  to  my  own  resources  and  my  own  judgment. 
Strangers  had  taken  the  place  of  parents,  but  they  had 
not  the  feeling  of  responsibility  which  attaches  to  fath- 
ers and  mothers,  and  could  not,  with  all  their  kindness 


&t0t^  DC  9pp  JLitt 


of  disposition,  feel  like  these.  I  came  among  them  not 
as  a  child  to  be  trained,  but  as  an  apprentice  to  be  help- 
ful in  business.  Yet  I  fared  well.  God,  who  cares 
even  for  His  wayward  children,  provided  for  me. 
He  has  done  so  until  this  hour,  and  will  do  so  until 
the  end.  Of  this  His  precious  Word  assures  me: 
Blessed  be  His  holy  name ! 


$7 


CHAPTER   II. 

PRINTER, 

OF  my  occupation  in  the  printing  business  there  is 
comparatively  Httle  to  be  recorded  in  this  nar- 
rative. While  I  was  apprenticed  to  it  and  worked 
in  it  for  about  six  years,  from  1841  to  1847,  ^^^  ^^ 
then  presents  itself  as  my  temporal  calling,  it  was 
really  but  a  part  of  the  education  which  I  was  to  re- 
ceive to  fit  me  for  my  life's  proper  vocation. 

My  father's  choice  of  a  profession  for  me  was  not 
unwise.  In  many  respects  I  was  better  fitted  for  that 
than  for  any  other  calling.  Though  not  yet  fourteen 
years  old,  I  had  learned  something.  My  education  was 
desultory,  as  under  these  circumstances  it  could  not 
be  otherwise.  But  I  ahvays  had  a  good  record  in  all 
my  classes  at  school,  and  was  usually  graded  above 
my  years.  That  according  to  my  teachers'  reports  I 
always  excelled  in  mathematics,  for  which  I  have  never 
in  my  consciousness  discovered  any  special  aptitude 
and  certainly  no  particular  taste,  may  reflect  some  dis- 
credit upon  the  judgment  of  my  teachers;  but  the  fact 

that  I  stood  high  in  the  class  which  studied  the  intri- 

38 


&tot^  Dt  9^V  ^itt 


cacies  of  "Mensuration,"  as  sciences  now  known  by 
other  names  were  then  called,  is  evidence  that  I  dis- 
played some  talent  in  a  field  which  I  never  had  the 
inducement  further  to  cultivate.  But  other  acquire- 
m.ents  were  of  more  importance  for  the  career  upon 
which  I  had  entered.  And  these  I  possessed  to  the  full 
extent  of  my  years,  notwithstanding  the  drawbacks 
to  which  I  was  subjected.  My  sports  on  land  and 
water  never  to  my  recollection  led  to  a  failure  in  my 
classes  at  school,  though  my  regularity  in  attendance 
was  almost  entirely  dependent  on  my  own  will.  On 
the  whole,  I  think  I  was  not  an  unpromising  candidate 
for  initiation  into  "the  art  preservative  of  all  arts." 

The  printing  house  of  Baab  &  Hummel  was  Ger- 
man. This  placed  me  at  a  disadvantage  in  the  start, 
but  only  temporarily.  The  German  was  my  mother 
tongue,  but  I  had  gone  far  toward  forgetting  it  when 
I  entered  the  printing  office.  All  the  schools  which  I 
had  attended  were  English,  and  the  language  spoken 
by  the  children  soon  exerted  its  influence  in  the  home. 
It  was  not  long  until  we  spoke  the  language  of  the 
school  and  of  our  school  companions,  even  in  our  con- 
versation with  our  parents.  Their  language  was  Ger- 
man, and  for  a  year  or  more  after  our  removal  to 

Hogestown,  my  parents  spoke  German  in  the  family 

39 


fetot^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


and  the  children  spoke  EngHsh.  But  the  German  be- 
came gradually  less  as  the  parents  accustomed  them- 
selves to  the  language  spoken  by  the  children.  As  I 
had  never  attended  a  German  school  and  since  my 
seventh  year  had  but  little  occasion  to  use  such  knowl- 
edge of  my  mother  tongue  as  I  possessed,  I  was  not 
expert  in  German  when  I  became  an  apprentice  in  a 
German  printing  establishment.  But  the  proprietors 
did  not  think  this  an  insuperable  difficulty  and  I  was 
not  dismayed.  I  had  no  reason  to  be,  because  the  lan- 
guage of  intercourse  in  the  whole  establishment  was 
English,  and  even  the  member  of  the  firm  who  was 
editor  of  the  weekly  paper,  the  publication  of  which 
was  part  of  its  business,  was  not  a  master  of  German. 
I  could  not  read  the  language,  but  it  required  only  a 
short  time  to  learn  it,  and  my  deficiency  in  this  respect 
never  proved  an  obstacle  to  my  success. 

The  work  which  I  had  to  do,  aside  from  the 
duties  of  messenger  boy,  paper  carrier,  and  various 
occupations  to  which  any  who  are  not  otherwise  en- 
gaged may  be  appointed  for  the  occasion,  was  in  the 
first  week  of  a  tiresome  sort.  There  were  in  the  office 
numerous  boxes  of  "pi."  This  is  a  term  which  print- 
ers use  to  designate  the  piles  of  type  which  have  fallen 
into  disorder.     My  first  assignment  of  work  was  to 

40 


&tot^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


set  up  this  "pi."  Of  course,  the  order  did  not  mean 
that  I  should  put  these  tumbled  and  jumbled  types 
together  so  as  to  make  sense,  but  only  that  they  should 
be  set  up  so  that  each  letter  could  be  distinguished 
and  put  in  its  proper  place  for  subsequent  use.  This 
kept  me  employed  for  a  month  or  more,  and  enabled 
me  to  acquire  some  knowledge  of  German  letters 
while  it  saved  some  money  to  the  proprietors.  This 
tiresome  work  of  setting  up  ''pi"  was  accomplished 
with  becoming  patience,  and  elicited  the  commendation 
of  my  employers,  who  appreciated  my  endurance 
though  the  money  value  of  my  work  was  small.  But 
I  was  not  long  in  learning  the  business  and  making 
myself  useful.  I  found  favor  with  my  employers,  and 
retained  it  through  all  the  years  of  my  connection  with 
them. 

My  home  during  the  first  half  of  my  apprentice- 
ship was  with  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  Mr. 
Baab,  a  good  natured  gentleman  who  gave  little  atten- 
tion to  religion  and  never  went  to  church,  but  was 
deeply  interested  in  politics,  and  once  in  a  while  joined 
some  of  the  base  sort  of  the  citizens  in  a  protracted 
spree,  though  ordinarily  he  was  an  upright,  sober  man, 
who  enjoyed  the  respect  of  the  community  and  kept  no 
company  with  the  class  of  people  to  whose  low  level 


41 


&tot^  ot  9^v  fiitz 


he  sank  in  his  occasional  revels.  His  wife  was  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  who  attended 
to  her  household  duties  with  kindness  and  bore  with 
quiet  patience  the  sorrow  occasioned  by  her  husband's 
aberrations.  They  had  one  child,  well  behaved  and 
cheerful,  but  if  anything  was  done  to  bring  her  up  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord  it  did  not  be- 
come apparent. 

But  what  was  of  more  account  to  me  was  the  pres- 
ence of  other  persons  who  were  boarding  in  the  family. 
There  were  three  of  these,  all  of  them  employed  in 
the  printing  house  which  I  had  entered.  One  of  them, 
though  a  man  of  fair  education  and  a  good  workman, 
had  low  tastes  and  little  character,  and  may  be  passed 
by  with  no  further  mention.  But  the  other  two  ex- 
erted no  little  influence  upon  me,  though  it  was  mostly 
indirect.  One,  J.  M.  Beck,  was  a  German  of  fine  edu- 
cation, a  free-thinker,  but  a  man  of  moral  integrity. 
The  other,  M.  Osman,  was  a  man  of  less  culture  and 
of  lower  moral  ideas,  but  equally  ambitious  in  the  pur- 
suit of  science  and  literature.  Both  were  in  many 
ways  worthy  of  imitation,  and  without  their  instruc- 
tion I  learned  from  their  example.  As  I  was  not  their 
direct  pupil,  I  could  not  be  a  direct  burden  to  them, 


4? 


fetors  0t  ^V  ^itt 


even  if  gradually  they  took  some  interest  in  my  pro- 
gress. 

In  the  first  weeks  of  my  sojourn  in  the  house  of 
Mr.  Baab  I  spent  dreary  evenings  after  the  day's  work. 
Perhaps  if  my  mother  had  been  living  yet  I  would 
have  run  away  to  my  humble  home  or  died  of  home- 
sickness, but  the  home  attractions  were  no  longer  so 
great  as  to  draw  me  with  such  might,  and  there  was 
nothing  for  me  but  to  sit  in  the  desolation  until  relief 
came  or  my  heart  would  break.  I  had  not  forgotten 
my  prayers,  but  I  had  wandered  away  so  far  that  God 
did  not  seem  near  and  help  did  not  appear  within  my 
reach.  No,  I  was  not  an  infidel,  but  I  was  a  mere 
child,  whose  religious  education  had  for  five  years  and 
more  been  sadly  neglected.  Beck  and  Osman  sat  at 
their  books  and  rarely  spoke.  I  sat  with  them,  and  had 
to  sit  alone  in  silence  that  they  might  not  be  disturbed. 
Sometimes  I  went  out  for  a  while,  but  there  was  no 
acquaintance  in  the  neighborhood  with  whom  I  could 
associate  or  find  any  enjoyment.  So  I  sat  with  the 
students  who  usually  pored  over  their  books  until  after 
midnight,  sometimes  opening  a  volume  which  lay  on 
the  table  before  me,  sometimes  arising  and  going  out 
into  the  darkness  for  a  while,  sometimes  recalling  the 

past  and  indulging  in  dreams,  then  retiring  at  8  or  9 

43 


fetot?  ot  9^v  ^ite 


o'clock,  when  all  efforts  to  drive  away  the  gloom  of 
the  long  evening  proved  a  failure.  But  this  distress- 
ing condition  could  not  be  enduring.  Casually  look- 
ing into  the  books  induced  me  to  read  a  little  here  and 
there.  Gradually  my  interest  was  elicited.  It  was  not 
many  months  until  I  heartily  joined  the  two  students 
whose  example  was  every  night  before  me.  My  love 
of  learning  was  awakened  and  grew  to  abnormal  pro- 
portions, so  that  in  course  of  time  I  surpassed  my  elder 
friends  in  eagerness  and  diligence.  Fortunately  for 
me  there  was  a  collection  of  good  books  ready  to  my 
hand.  Mr.  Osman  had  a  library  that  was  quite  respec- 
table both  for  size  and  quality,  to  which  I  had  unre- 
stricted access,  and  Mr.  Beck  was  always  a  buyer  of 
the  best  books.  Little  opportunity  was  afforded  me 
to  read  trashy  publications,  as  I  had  no  money  where- 
with to  purchase  them,  even  if  I  had  had  the  inclina- 
tion. I  was  thus  induced  by  circumstances  to  acquaint 
myself  with  good  literature,  and  wasted  but  little  time 
upon  worthless  books.  Religion  was  not  well  repre- 
sented in  the  library  of  my  friends,  who  had  little  inter- 
est in  revealed  truth,  and  what  there  was  of  this  sort 
was  mainly  skeptical  and  naturalistic,  if  not  aggres- 
sively "Anti-Christian."  I  am  glad  to  say  that  such 
books  as  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason"  had  no  perceptible 

44 


fetot^  ot  m  ^itt 


influence  on  my  thinking  or  conduct.  They  were  not 
to  my  taste.  History  and  travel  attracted  me  most, 
and  after  the  habit  of  reading  beyond  the  midnight 
hours  had  been  formed,  poetry  and  philosophy  became 
favorite  subjects.  With  Shakespeare  and  Milton  I 
formed  an  early  acquaintance,  and  the  best  produc- 
tions of  the  English  poets  and  a  few  also  of  the  Ger- 
man delighted  me.  Though  I  loved  to  puzzle  over 
Locke's  Essay  and  skim  over  Gibbon's  Rome,  the  reli- 
gious tendencies  of  such  books  affected  me  little,  and 
that  my  inclinations  were  never  adverse  to  the  Chris- 
tian training  which  my  mother  had  given  me  was  man- 
ifested by  my  partiality  for  such  poems  as  Young's 
''Night  Thoughts"  and  Pollock's  ''Course  of  Time," 
alongside  of  "Paradise  Lost."  Three  years  of  omniv- 
orous reading  extended  pretty  nearly  over  the  whole 
range  of  English  literature  except  natural  science,  the 
poets,  mataphysicians  and  literary  critics  seeming  to 
me  better  interpreters  of  nature  than  the  dry  and  tedi- 
ous scientists. 

About  the  third  year  of  my  apprenticeship  I  was 
by  a  mere  accident  led  to  change  my  habit  of  spending 
my  evenings  with  my  books,  only  one  evening  a  week 
being  reserved  for  social  enjoyment.  My  home  had 
been  transferred  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Hummel,  the 

45 


&mv  ot  9^^  %itt 


junior  partner  in  the  printing  firm.  Both  Mr.  Hum- 
mel and  his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church  and  both  were  earnest  Christians,  who 
heartily  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  church.  He  was 
the  devoted  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  and 
she  was  a  helpmeet  for  him  in  training  their  children 
according  to  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  I  think  that  they 
had  daily  family  worship,  though  I  was  not  honored 
with  an  invitation  to  attend  it.  There  Vv^as  no  boarder 
beside  myself  in  the  family.  Of  course,  I  felt  some- 
what lonesome  in  my  new  relation,  having  been  taken 
away  from  my  student  friends  and  their  books.  But 
Mr.  Hummel  also  had  a  little  library,  and  I  was  thus 
not  deprived  of  all  reading  matter.  I  could  have  con- 
tinued my  practice  of  daily  study  when  the  day's  work 
was  done  and  the  darkness  came.  But  circumstances 
changed  my  plans,  if  plans  can  be  spoken  of  at  all  in 
my  life  of  perfect  freedom  after  working  hours.  A 
theacrical  company  established  itself  for  the  winter  in 
Harrisburg  and  a  young  friend  of  mine  secured  the 
contract  of  printing  the  daily  programmes  for  distri- 
bution among  the  audience.  For  this  work  payment 
was  made  in  tickets  of  admission  and  I  was  offered  a 
ticket  each  evening  for  doing  the  press  work;  as  this 
was  not  a  burdensome  task  I  accepted  the  offer.    Ac- 

46 


htotv  ot  ^v  ^itt 


cordingly  most  of  my  evenings  were  spent  at  the  the- 
atre. The  perilous  proceeding  did  not  trouble  my  con- 
science then  and  the  epicurean  principle  which  I  re- 
member to  have  avowed,  in  reply  to  a  warning  given 
me  by  Mr.  Hummel,  makes  it  plain  to  me  now  that  I 
was  entering  upon  the  road  to  ruin.  But  my  good 
name  was  not  forfeited  by  the  error.  The  company 
produced  plays  of  the  better  class,  a  goodly  number  of 
Shakesperian  dramas  being  among  them.  My  knowl- 
edge of  English  dramatic  literature  was  thus  materi- 
ally increased,  and  the  bad  venture  was  not  without 
its  intellectual  compensation.  But  it  was  perilous,  and 
it  has  served  to  settle  my  judgment  adverse  to  the 
theatre  for  all  time.  Not  only  the  vicious  environ- 
ments of  the  playhouse  and  the  temptations  to  which 
the  play-goer  is  exposed ;  not  only  the  immoral  sug- 
gestions of  many  a  sentence  and  scene ;  but  much  more 
the  hardening  effect  upon  the  heart  of  stirring  the 
emotions  by  fictitious  events,  are  the  grounds  of  my 
aversion.  When  strong  feelings  which  naturally  act 
upon  the  will,  are  aroused  without  affording  the  oppor- 
tunity to  exert  volitional  power  in  corresponding  activ- 
ity in  real  life,  the  effect  is  always  bad;  and  when  the 
exposure  to  such  fictitious  excitement  becomes  habit- 
ual, it  results  in  an  unnatural  sundering  of  the  will 

47 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


from  the  motive  powers,  and  the  feehngs  exhaust 
themselves  without  appropriate  action  in  the  life.  No 
doubt  many  a  poor  soul  has  thus  become  a  flabby  senti- 
mentalist with  an  abundance  of  feeling,  but  altogether 
devoid  of  fruit  in  the  realities  of  life. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  entirely  escaped  the  evil  con- 
sequences of  my  evil  conduct.  Indeed,  they  have  pre- 
sented themselves  as  thorns  in  my  experience  ever 
since,  and  \varnings  which  I  have  had  frequent  occa- 
sion to  give  in  this  regard,  were  those  of  a  burnt  child 
that  shuns  the  fire.  But  God's  goodness,  which  never 
failed  me  in  all  my  wanderings,  saved  me  from  becom- 
ing a  moral  wreck.  I  have  learned  something  since 
then,  not  only  of  the  abounding  grace  of  our  blessed 
Saviour  towards  our  sinful  race,  but  of  the  wonderful 
ways  of  His  providence.  But  these  ways  are  past  find- 
ing out,  and  at  last  the  soul  that  comes  to  Him  finds 
all  difficulties  solved  in  the  assurance  that  His  mercy 
endureth  forever.  How  it  came  about  is  not  clear  to 
me,  unless  the  influence  of  my  mother's  teaching,  in 
connection  with  the  covenant  of  grace  into  which  my 
baptism  had  introduced  me,  may  seem  a  sufficient  ex- 
planation, but  on  my  return  to  my  room  after  the  the- 
atrical performance,  I  did  not  immediately  retire,  but 
spent  some  time  in  meditation  and  prayer  before  I  laid 


48 


fetotg  of  a^p  %itt 


my  body  down  to  sleep.  As  I  had  free  access  to  the 
house  at  any  hour,  I  could  go  and  come  as  I  pleased. 
The  family  was  not  disturbed  by  my  late  entrance,  and 
never  was  I  met  by  rebukes  or  expostulations.  The 
only  time  that  Mr.  Hummel,  or  anyone  else,  spoke  to 
me  about  my  late  hours,  was  that  which  I  have  men- 
tioned, and  that  was  while  I  was  at  work  in  the  office. 
There  was  no  dissipation  on  my  part.  I  never  drank 
intoxicating  liquors  and  never  joined  gay  company  in 
carousals  after  the  play.  In  that  respect  my  life  was 
clean  and  my  character  was  not  impeached.  But  my 
soul  was  not  at  rest.  I  therefore  v/ent  home  when  the 
drama  closed,  and  knelt  at  my  bedside  in  prayer  before 
I  went  to  bed,  and  usually  slept  well. 

The  theatrical  performances  came  to  an  end  when 
the  winter  v/as  over,  and  I  was  constrained  to  find 
other  ways  of  spending  my  evenings.  My  interest  in 
books  had  not  departed,  and  I  was  as  eager  as  ever  to 
learn.  But  I  was  no  longer  among  free-thinkers  who 
were  my  companions  at  Baab's,  the  wants  of  my  soul 
became  more  prominent  in  my  thoughts.  I  had  been 
called  the  preacher  in  my  boyhood  among  my  play- 
mates, and  that  which  led  to  such  a  title  then  was  no 
doubt  still  apparent  in  my  character.     My  thoughts 

were  more  directed  to  religious  subjects  and  I  visited 
4  49 


mow  ot  9$v  ^itz 


churches.  Of  course  1  had  no  denominational  prefer- 
ences except  such  as  were  unconsciously  imbedded  in 
my  early  training  and  were  naturally  determined  by 
my  environment.  Where  the  preaching  commended 
itself  to  my  literary  tastes,  I  was  most  inclined  to  go. 
What  I  needed  most  I  did  not  understand,  but  I  felt 
that  something  was  needed.  I  attended  Sunday-School, 
and  as  my  mother's  faith  was  Lutheran  and  Mr.  Hum- 
mel was  superintendent  of  the  school  conducted  by  the 
Lutheran  Church,  all  proper  motives  tended  to  direct 
me  there,  especially  as  my  sister  was  a  member  of  the 
congregation  at  Harrisburg  and  I  had  become  an  ad- 
mirer of  the  pastor's  eloquence  and  the  choir's  music. 
My  companions  now  were  mostly  Christians,  and  all 
my  inclinations  were  to  seek  the  peace  which  my  wan- 
derings in  the  domain  of  literature  had  not  brought  me. 
About  that  time  a  wave  of  wild  excitement  about 
the  coming  of  Christ  swept  over  the  land  and  great 
revivals  were  instituted  in  the  churches.  So  strong 
was  the  pressure  in  this  direction  that  Rev.  C.  W. 
Schaefifer,  who  was  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  congre- 
gation at  Harrisburg,  also  introduced  the  new  measure 
and  set  a  revival  in  motion.  What  it  professed  to  offer 
was  what  I  wanted,  and  with  many  others  I  presented 
myself  at  the  "anxious  bench."    But  what  was  offered 

50 


fetotp  0t  a^g  %itt 


there  was  not  what  I  needed.  The  revival  "workers" 
whispered  into  my  ears,  as  I  knelt  in  silence  before  the 
altar,  some  things  which  were  meant  for  my  encour- 
agement, but  which  only  left  me  unmoved  because  of 
their  failure  to  reach  my  conscience.  As  I  remember 
it  there  was  nothing  to  show  me  my  utter  damnable- 
ness  by  nature,  or  the  abounding  grace  of  God  to  de- 
liver from  the  impending  damnation.  Pastor  Schaeffer 
himself  never  came  to  me  as  I  silently  suffered  my 
need,  without  enlightenment  as  to  its  meaning  and 
without  an  effort  to  meet  my  want.  I  endured  this 
revival  process  for  several  nights  without  relief  from 
a  burden  for  which  it  seemed  to  have  made  no  pro- 
vision, when  God  gave  me  courage  to  speak  to  Pastor 
Schaeffer  about  my  condition  and  my  need,  and  to  tell 
him  that  in  my  case  at  least  the  method  pursued  in  the 
"revival"  could  effect  nothing,  making  bold  to  say  that 
I  expected  at  least  good  sense  instead  of  the  nonsense 
to  which  I  was  treated  by  the  officious  workers.  To 
my  surprise  the  pastor  declared  that  he  was  of  the 
same  opinion,  and  that  he  proposed,  as  a  better  way, 
to  gather  a  class  for  instruction  in  revealed  truth, 
which  he  urged  me  to  join.  The  class  was  formed,  a 
large  number,  among  whom  I  was  glad  to  be  regis- 
tered, joined  it,  and  the  revival  gave  place  to  a  large 

61 


fetot^  of  9^?  JLitt 


class  of  catechumens,  with  which  I  was  duly  confirmed 
and  admitted  to  holy  communion. 

It  is  an  ungracious  task  to  criticise  a  pastor  to 
whom  I  owe  so  much,  but  it  would  be  overlooking  a 
matter  of  some  importance  in  my  life  if  I  did  not  men- 
tion the  fact,  that  when  I  was  confirmed  I  had  no 
knowledge  of  Luther's  Catechism,  or  of  any  catechism. 
That  seems  very  strange.  Certainly  it  is  unusual  in 
the  Lutheran  Church,  except  where  the  Lutheran  is 
lost  under  Reformism  of  the  Methodist  type  and  only 
the  name  is  retained.  Rev.  Schaefifer  did  not  belong 
to  that  sort  of  people.  Rather  he  was  more  strongly 
attc-ched  to  that  which  is  distinctively  Lutheran  than 
was  liked  by  many  in  the  congregations.  But  it  was 
a  frenzied  time,  and  our  good  pastor  was  in  a  trouble 
somewhat  like  that  which  fell  upon  Melanchthon  and 
his  colleagues  when  the  fanatics  came  to  Witten- 
berg and  Luther  was  away.  I  do  not  know  whether 
the  like  had  ever  occurred  before,  but  our  class  of 
catechumens  was  instructed  without  the  Catechism, 
which  I  had  not  seen  and  which  years  afterward  be- 
came dear  to  me.  But  we  were  not  confirmed  without 
instruction  in  Christian  truth.  The  pastor  required 
each  of  us  to  have  a  Bible,  at  each  lecture  assigned 
certain  passages  which  he  requested  us  to  commit  to 


52 


fetot^  0t  ^v  %iU 


memory,  and  at  the  following  meeting  explained  and 
applied  these  texts.  There  was  no  catechization,  not 
only  in  the  sense  that  there  was  no  catechism,  but  also 
in  the  sense  that  there  was  no  questioning  and  an- 
swering. We  sat  in  silence  while  he  expounded  to  us 
the  Scriptures.  The  method  was  not  good,  but  the 
work  was  done  well,  and  we  learned  the  essentials  of 
the  way  of  salvation.  I  had  thus  come  into  possession 
not  only  of  some  truth  that  my  soul  needed,  but  also 
of  a  Bible  of  my  own  and  a  habit  of  using  it,  and  of 
a  pastor  who  cared  for  my  spiritual  welfare.  God  had 
done  great  things  for  me  and  I  was  glad. 

Thenceforward  my  interests  were  in  the  Church 
and  its  work.  Not  only  was  I  a  regular  attendant  at 
the  service  morning  and  evening  on  the  Lord's  Day 
and  at  Sunday-School,  but  at  all  the  meetings  during 
the  week  which  were  designed  for  instruction  and 
edification.  Whenever  an  opportunity  afforded,  I 
consulted  the  pastor  about  my  reading,  my  spiritual 
wants,  and  my  educational  pursuits.  He  always  man- 
ifested a  lively  interest  in  me,  gave  me  advice,  and 
furnished  me  with  books  to  promote  my  growth  in 
knowledge  and  in  grace.  On  one  occasion,  which  is 
ever  memorable  to  me,  he  spoke  to  me  about  a  matter 
which  then  seemed  to  me  not  to  concern  him  at  all  and 

53 


fetorp  ot  Q?p  JLitt 


of  which  I  thought  he  had  no  knowledge.  I  had 
joined  a  secret  society.  As  far  as  I  remember,  I  had 
done  this  only  with  good  intent,  as  is  no  doubt  the 
case  with  many  who  are  enticed  into  the  lodges  which 
exert  such  a  power  in  our  land  and  form  such  a  for- 
midable hindrance  to  the  Church  and  its  gracious 
work.  In  some  way  not  known  to  me,  he  became 
aware  of  this  fact.  In  the  meeting  of  our  lodge  it 
was  mentioned  that  he  was  the  only  minister  in  Har- 
risburg  who  was  not  connected  with  a  secret  society, 
and  that  efforts  had  been  made  in  vain  to  secure  him 
for  our  order.  This  made  little  impression  on  me, 
then,  as  I  looked  upon  it  merely  as  a  matter  of  taste 
or  policy  in  the  pursuit  of  benevolent  purposes.  But 
it  did  make  an  impression  upon  me  when  he  questioned 
me  about  my  connection  with  the  order,  and  in  an 
injured  tone  informed  me  that  I  should  have  consulted 
him  before  taking  such  a  step.  He  was  right  —  as 
I  see  it  now,  beyond  all  question  he  was  right.  But 
that  was  all  he  said,  and  I  did  not  then  see  that  his 
claim  had  any  ground  or  I  deserved  any  rebuke.  If 
he  had  shown  me  why  I  did  wrong,  I  think  that  I  was 
in  a  condition  to  ponder  his  reasons  and  follow  the 
right.  He  might  have  induced  me  to  leave  the  so- 
ciety in  which  I  expected  to  exercise  benevolence  and 

54 


&tot^  ot  ^v  J^itt 


directed  me  to  the  Church,  which  is  called  to  exercise 
this  in  Jesus'  name,  and  thus  gives  glory  to  our  Saviour, 
while  by  His  grace  it  accomplishes  more  even  in  the 
promotion  of  man's  welfare.  But  this  was  not  done, 
I  remained  a  member  of  the  temporal  secret  society 
without  further  rebuke;  and  Pastor  Schaeflfer's  testi- 
mony was  not  then  heard  against  the  Lodgery  that 
menaced  the  Church  even  more  than  the  Methodistic 
revivalism,  against  which  he  failed  to  stand  and  testify 
and  fight  the  good  fight. 

My  pastor  did  not,  on  account  of  my  being  a 
secretist,  treat  me  any  otherwise  than  before.  He 
continued  to  favor  me  and  as  far  as  I  now  can  remem- 
ber, I  continued  by  my  conduct  to  merit  his  favor  as 
much  as  ever.  Whether  or  not  he  knew  of  my  desire 
to  become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  his  course  always 
appeared  to  harmonize  with  my  purpose  in  this  regard. 
On  the  occasion  of  a  commencement  at  Gettysburg,  he 
even  arranged  for  my  attendance  and  provided  for 
my  entertainment,  though  he  never  suggested  any 
plan  to  me  by  which  I  could  study  for  the  ministry. 

I  am  not  sure  that  I  had  any  plans  of  my  own 
in  this  respect.  But  with  or  without  a  plan  I  labored 
steadily  toward  the  goal  that  lay  beyond  the  profession 
of  a  printer.     Every  opportunity  that  presented  itself 

55 


fetors  oe  9^v  ^itt 


for  advancing  my  education  was  eagerly  embraced. 
Books  continued  to  be  my  delight,  but  without  losing 
sight  of  Christ  and  the  Church.  Something  like  a 
definite  aim  was  gradually  evolved,  and  my  reading 
and  studying  were  directed  towards  a  preparation  for 
college  and  the  theological  seminary.  My  first  need 
seemed  to  me  now  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
which  hitherto  had  not  come  within  the  range  of  my 
eager  pursuit  of  learning.  As  an  opportunity  was 
given  me  in  the  last  year  of  my  apprenticeship  to  earn 
some  money  by  extra  work  in  the  printing  office,  I 
made  arrangement  with  the  principal  of  the  Harris- 
burg  Academy  to  take  some  studies  under  him  in  con- 
nection with  my  daily  work.  He  was  a  kindly  man 
that  took  a  fatherly  interest  in  me.  The  plan  agreed 
upon  worked  well,  notwithstanding  the  hardship  to 
which  it  subjected  both  of  us.  Lessons  were  assigned 
me  which  I  was  to  prepare  after  working  hours  at 
night  and  recite  before  working  hours  in  the  morning. 
He  was  always  ready  in  the  winter  even  before  the 
day  dawned,  to  hear  my  recitations,  and  I  was  punct- 
ual in  presenting  myself  in  due  time,  so  that  I  could 
return  for  breakfast  at  the  usual  hour  and  be  ready 
for  duty  with  the  rest  of  the  workmen.  So  far  as  I 
could  see  my  ambitious  efforts  to  succeed  in  my  studies 

66 


^tot^  ot  ^^  %itz 


were  satisfactory  to  the  principal,  Mr.  Graham,  and 
I  am  sure  that  all  was  satisfactory  to  me.  The  ar- 
rangement made  was  meant  to  be  merely  temporary, 
the  design  being  to  pursue  a  regular  course  as  soon 
as  conditions  should  become  favorable.  My  purpose 
was  to  invest  my  earnings,  after  my  apprenticeship, 
to  the  accomplishment  of  this  end. 

My  employers  favored  me  and  there  was  no  lack 
of  work  at  good  wages.  I  could  come  and  go  pretty 
much  at  will.  My  governing  purpose  was  to  study. 
I  accordingly  attended  the  regular  classes  at  the  Aca- 
demy, and  good  Mr.  Graham  was  released  from  the 
burden  of  hearing  recitations  before  breakfast.  As 
for  myself,  I  hardly  realized  that  it  was  a  hardship,  so 
intent  was  I  upon  the  work.  My  most  distinct  remem- 
brance of  these  regular  recitations  is  that  of  the  Latin 
Class.  The  teacher  was  the  rector  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  at  Harrisburg.  He  was  a  fat  man,  and  our 
recitations  were  in  the  first  periods  after  the  noonday 
meal.  He  sometimes  nodded  a  little,  as  even  Homer 
is  reported  as  having  occasionally  done.  When  my 
turn  came  to  translate  Caesar  he  was  sometimes 
startled  from  the  little  doze  which  he  endeavored  in 
vain  to  resist.  My  translation  was  a  persistent  effort 
to  put  idiomatic  Latin  into  English  words,  so  that  the 

^7 


&totv  ot  9^^  JLite 


thought  of  the  Latin  writer  would  appear  in  its  own 
idiom,  notwithstanding  the  difference  of  language  used 
to  express  the  thought.  The  construction  was  of 
course  a  curiosity  in  English,  and  it  was  no  doubt 
sufficiently  odd  to  arouse  any  ordinary  sleeper.  The 
good  rector  could  not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  reprove 
me  for  my  attempt  to  talk  Latin  in  English,  nor  to 
forbid  the  repetition  of  what  to  a  less  competent  edu- 
cator might  have  looked  like  levity.  He  only  required 
me  to  repeat  the  sense  of  the  passage  in  as  good  Eng- 
lish as  I  could  command.  With  the  Greek  I  had  more 
trouble,  probably  because  from  the  start  the  erroneous 
notion  had  taken  possession  of  my  mind  that  it  was  a 
much  more  difficult  language.  It  perplexed  me  to  the 
point  of  despair,  though  I  was  not  accustomed  to  be 
frightened  from  any  purpose  by  ordinary  difficulties. 
I  persevered,-  but  told  my  friend,  Daniel  Worley,  who 
was  attending  college  and  with  whom  I  was  later  to 
be  associated  in  Church  work^  of  my  arduous  labor  that 
seemed  so  unsatisfactory.  To  him  the  work  had  be- 
come easy,  and  although  he  was  not  in  a  situation  to 
give  me  much  direct  assistance  in  my  lessons,  he  greatly 
encouraged  me  by  referring  to  his  own  experience,  and 
my  own  success  in  mastering  other  difficulties  which 

were  even  more  formiidable.     No  doubt  the  circumr 

58 


fetors  of  9^V  ^itt 


stances  contributed  not  a  little  to  my  lack  of  cheer  in 
my  Greek  studies.  My  desire  was  to  be  regular  in 
the  class  preparing  for  college,  but  I  was  deficient  in 
that  language.  The  principal  advised  me  to  study 
Greek  privately  in  the  hope  of  overtaking  my  class  by 
the  opening  of  next  term,  promising  to  help  me,  and 
assuring  me  that  with  proper  application  on  my  part 
this  would  be  accomplished.  The  need  of  hard  work 
was  apparent  if  my  plan  was  to  meet  with  success.  It 
may  be  that  I  expected  too  much,  and  that  on  this  ac- 
count I  magnified  the  difficulties  and  was  not  much 
pleased  vv^ith  the  results.  Mr.  Graham  always  seemed 
satisfied  with  my  work  when  I  regularly  presented  my- 
self for  recitations,  or  rather  examinations,  but  never 
informed  me  whether  I  was  reaching  my  goal  or  not. 
He  was  evidently  preparing  me  for  a  surprise.  I  per- 
severed, Greek  became  easier,  and  I  read  page  after 
page  beyond  the  ordinary  lessons  because  I  liked  it. 
The  term  closed,  and  when  I  with  some  diffidence  in- 
quired whether  the  object  of  my  ambition  had  been 
reached,  the  kind-hearted  principal  smiled  and  in- 
formed me  that  I  had  passed  that  class  long  ago,  and 
was  ready  for  examination  with  the  class  a  year  be- 
yond it.  I  do  not  remember  for  which  class  in  college 
the  Academy  at  Harrisburg  under  Prof.  Graham  was 

59 


fbtotv  of  ^v  ^itt 


preparing  pupils,  but  I  was  manifestly  nearing  my 
goal  of  entering  the  class  when  another  event  under 
the  Providence  of  God  changed  the  current;  I  was  not 
to  go  to  Gettysburg. 

When  I  was  brought  to  the  printing  office  at  Har- 
risburg  in  my  fourteenth  year  I  was  a  lad  of  good 
physical  condition  and  generally  robust  health.  I  had 
endured  hardships,  but  had  no  organic  disease,  and  was 
ready  to  endure  more.  But  Harrisburg  was  not  a 
healthy  place  and  malarial  affections  were  frequent.  I 
had  been  subject  to  fever  before,  and  was  not  exempt 
from  it  when  I  became  a  printer.  In  the  summer  it 
w^as  nothing  uncommon  for  me,  when  chills  ran  over 
me,  to  leave  my  work  and  seek  refuge  under  covers 
while  the  ague  shook  the  bed  and  the  subsequent  fever 
shook  my  brains.  But  this  was  a  matter  so  common 
that  it  was  not  thought  worthy  of  any  special  consider- 
ation. Another  trouble  was  more  serious.  In  some 
way  I  became  a  victim  of  a  most  painful  disease  called 
inflammatory  rheumatism.  I  think  that  none  but  those 
who  have  experienced  it  can  know  the  pain  which  it 
inflicts.  Probably  my  clothing  was  not  sufficient  for 
my  trip  as  paper  carrier  about  the  city  in  all  sorts  of 
weather,  especially  as  underwear  was  unknown  to  me 
until  after  years  and  an  overcoat  seemed  to  me  a  lux- 

60 


bm^  nt  2p^  %tit 


ury.  My  employers  were  not  unkind,  and  would  no 
doubt  have  supplied  me  with  everything  necessary  for 
my  health  and  even  comfort,  if  I  had  made  known  to 
them  what  I  needed. 

But  I  was  too  modest,  not  too  proud,  to  make 
known  my  needs.  As  I  look  back  upon  it  now  it  seems 
to  me  that  I  was  as  little  aware  of  what  I  needed  as 
were  my  employers.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
cause,  I  suffered  from  a  severe  attack  of  inflamma- 
tory rheumatism  while  living  at  Baab's  and  another 
while  living  at  Hummel's.  In  both  cases  the  family 
was  kind  to  me,  but  in  both  cases  the  ordinary  help 
was  not  sufficient  to  give  me  the  needed  attention  in  my 
utter  helplessness.  I  suffered  intensely  for  several 
weeks  each  time,  but  each  time  lived  through  the  agony, 
so  that  after  an  ordeal  of  intense  suffering  without 
sufficient  nursing,  I  could  go  on  with  my  work.  But 
after  another  interval  of  several  years  came  the  third 
attack.  This  was  after  my  apprenticeship  had  ended 
and  I  was  preparing  for  college,  though  depending  up- 
on my  work  to  pay  expenses.  This  time  the  disease, 
which  seems  to  have  become  deeply  rooted  in  my 
racked  body,  lingered  long.  Physicians  were  baffled 
in  their  effort  to  master  it.  I  was  so  far  restored  that 
I  returned  to  work,  but  always  with  the  result  that  my 


fetorp  of  99v  ^itt 


pains  increased  and  the  work  had  to  be  abandoned. 
Finally  I  was  informed  by  medical  men,  several  of 
whom  had  been  consulted  in  connection  with  my 
regular  physicians,  that  there  was  no  hope  of  recover- 
ing as  long  as  I  continued  my  work  in  the  printing 
office,  and  that  I  must  abandon  this  entirely. 

Thus  my  occupation  was  gone,  and  what  should  I 
do  now  ?  I  still  had  a  little  m.oney  which  I  had  saved 
amid  trying  circumstances.  The  abandonment  of  my 
profession  as  printer  did  not  imply  the  abandonment 
of  my  hopes  of  becoming  a  minister.  On  the  contrary, 
another  profession  seemed  inevitable.  My  choice  had 
been  made.  But  how  attain  my  end  when  the  pecu- 
niary means  were  wanting?  It  was  a  discouraging 
situation,  but  I  did  not  lose  heart  and  hope.  Though 
my  health  was  broken,  it  still  seemed  to  me  possible 
to  do  some  work  as  compositor  and  at  the  same  time 
pursue  my  studies,  which  now  had  a  definite  aim. 

One  day  in  the  autumn  of  1847,  Mr.  BaalD  came 
to  me  with  a  letter  from  the  United  Brethren  Publish- 
ing House,  then  located  at  Circleville,  Ohio,  inquiring 
whether  he  could  not  recommend  a  man  to  print  the 
German  semi-monthly  paper,  which  was  issued  there. 
It  was  an  easy  position,  requiring  a  little  more  than 
half  a  man's  time  to  do  the  work  assigned,  and  the 

62 


&totp  ot  9$v  fiitt 


wages,  six  dollars  per  week,  was  fair,  considering  the 
small  amount  of  labor  demanded.  Messrs.  Baab  & 
Hummel  both  thought  that  the  place  was  exactly  suited 
to  my  wants  and  urged  me  to  accept  it.  As  I  desired  to 
divide  my  time  between  work  and  study,  and  if  possible 
to  meet  my  necessary  expenses  and  still  lay  aside  part 
of  my  wages,  so  that  I  might  after  a  few  years  com- 
plete my  studies  at  some  institution  of  learning,  I 
agreed  to  go.  On  the  third  day  after  the  offer  and 
the  consultations  about  its  acceptance,  I  was  on  my 
way  to  Ohio,  which  was  to  become  my  permanent 
home.  I  left  Harrisburg  as  a  printer,  and  had  the 
business  of  printing  in  view  when  I  started  upon  my 
westward  journey,  but  it  was  virtually  bidding  farewell 
to  my  vocation  as  printer. 


63 


CHAPTER   III. 

STUDENT. 

HOW  I  became  a  student  at  our  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  Columbus,  is  one  of  the  many  instances 
in  my  life  illustrating  God's  wonderful  providence  over 
His  children. 

The  story  begins  with  my  westward  journey  in  the 
autumn  of  1847,  although  I  did  not  then  even  know  of 
the  existence  of  such  a  seminary,  and  it  could  not  enter 
my  mind  to  go  to  Ohio  for  that  purpose.  So  far  as 
I  had  thoughts  of  entering  an  institution  with  a  view 
to  the  ministry,  only  Gettysburg  lay  in  my  horizon. 
Becoming  a  minister  was  definite  in  my  purpose,  but 
only  that.  The  resolve  to  pursue  my  calling  at  Circle- 
ville  as  printer  was  only  subsidiary  to  this  governing 
purpose.  Only  so  far  had  my  journey  to  Ohio  any 
connection  with  that  which  was  now  the  chief  object 
of  my  life.  I  went  west  to  take  charge  of  the  mechan- 
ical department  of  a  German  religious  paper  published 
by  the  United  Brethren.  In  this  I  had  no  interest 
but  that  of  making  an  honest  living  and  promoting 

my  desire  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  in  the 

64 


M.   LoY  AS  A  Student. 


&totjg  of  a^«  JLitt 


Evaneglical  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  I  was  Baptized 
and  confirmed  and  in  which  I  had  so  far  found  my 
spiritual  nourishment. 

In  my  hasty  preparation  for  a  journey  that  was 
then  thought  very  long,  I  had  not  forgotten  to  take 
with  me  some  letters  of  introduction  and  recommen- 
dation, which  might  prove  serviceable  to  me  in  my 
advent  among  strangers.  Two  of  these  proved  of 
importance  to  me  beyond  the  mere  business  matter 
of  receiving  a  welcome  at  the  publishing  house  where 
I  was  employed.  One  was  a  general  recommendation 
to  any  Lutheran  pastor  whom  I  might  meet,  the  other 
was  a  cordial  introduction  to  Mr.  Jos.  Geiger,  Attorney- 
at-Law  in  Circleville.  Everything  having  been  ar- 
ranged to  my  satisfaction,  I  started  off  with  a  cheerful 
heart,  not  dreaming  that  it  was  my  final  adieu  to  my 
native  state. 

The    journey    was    not    without    incident.    The 

Cumberland  Valley  Railroad  had  been  built  as  far  as 

Chambersburg,  and  so  far  it  was  easy  traveling.     But 

the  passengers  to  Pittsburg  were  more  numerous  than 

the  stage-coaches  from  that  point  would  accommodate, 

and  I  could  not  secure  a  seat  to  continue  my  journey 

on  the  same  day.     It  was  Wednesday,  and  I  learned 

that  there  were  services  on  that  evening  in  the  Lutheran 
6  96 


&totp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


Church.  That  at  once  appealed  to  me  as  the  right 
place  to  spend  the  evening.  The  attraction  was  all 
the  greater  when  I  was  informed  that  Dr.  Sprecher  was 
pastor  of  the  congregation.  He  had  buried  my  dear 
mother  and  I  had  not  forgotten  him.  His  address 
was  edifying  and  I  did  not  regret  that  my  journey 
was  delayed,  as  it  gave  me  a  delightful  opportunity 
to  hear  him  preach.  But  when  I  presented  myself 
again  at  the  stage  office  and  was  told  that  my  turn  for 
an  inside  passage  would  not  come  until  the  third  day, 
I  was  discouraged  and  concluded  that  it  would  be 
wisQT  to  take  an  outside  seat,  which  was  offered  me 
at  once,  than  to  wait  several  days  more  for  better 
accommodations  and  in  the  meantime  spend  the  little 
money  which  I  had  in  store.  Accordingly  I  took  an 
outside  seat  on  an  over-crowded  coach  and  went  on 
my  way.  It  was  not  comfortable  when  rain  came, 
though  it  was  a  little  consolation  to  know  that  I  had 
a  better  seat  beside  the  driver  than  some  others  who 
had  to  content  themselves  with  a  less  tolerable  place  on 
the  top  of  the  coach.  When  we  reached  the  moun- 
tains sleet  came  and  discomforts  increased.  The  driver 
was  a  rough  looking  man  whose  speech  corresponded 
with  his  looks  and  whose  profanity,  when  occasionally 
a  horse  slipped  or  the  coach  slid  on  the  icy  road  along 


6Q 


&mv  ot  9^»  %itt 


the  mountain  declivities,  made  me  tremble ;  but  he  was 
a  man  of  gentle  heart  for  all  that  and  showed  me 
nothing  but  kindness.  My  frail  frame  and  pale  face, 
the  result  of  the  sickness  from  which  I  had  not  yet 
fully  recovered,  no  doubt  rendered  me  a  pitiful  sight 
in  the  rough  weather  without  sufficient  wraps  to  defy 
the  storm ;  and  with  some  ungentle  expressions  he  took 
off  some  of  his  best  protection  against  the  sleet  and 
snow  that  pelted  us  in  the  pitiless  blasts,  and  wrapped 
me  up,  assuring  me  that  he  was  used  to  hardships 
whilst  I  would  be  killed  before  the  morning  came  by 
the  unmerciful  tempest.  At  the  next  relay  the  outside 
passengers  were  given  an  opportunity  to  warm  them- 
selves and  partially  dry  their  clothing  at  a  fire  blazing 
on  the  hearth  of  the  hostelry,  and  when  notice  was 
given  that  the  coach  was  ready  to  start  again,  I  ex- 
perienced another  instance  of  human  sympathy.  One 
of  the  inside  passengers,  a  large,  robust  man,  who 
had  been  noticing  me  in  my  sorry  plight,  approached 
me  and  with  an  air  of  authority  forbade  me  to  proceed 
on  an  outside  seat  in  such  a  condition  and  in  such 
weather,  and  upon  my  assuring  him  that  I  was  entitled 
to  no  other,  he  declared  that  I  should  go  where  he 
placed  me,  and  if  anybody  undertook  to  molest  me  he 

would  do  it  at  his  peril.     He  then  carried  me  to  the 

67 


fetarp  of  9^v  Jiitt 


coach,  put  me  in  one  of  the  best  inside  seats,  and  no 
one  resented  the  usurpation.  If  any  one  was  wronged 
by  the  proceeding  it  was  not  with  my  will,  and  no 
one  disturbed  me  or  reproached  me  during  the  journey. 
At  Pittsburg,  which  I  reached  without  any  serious 
results  from  the  exposure  and  jolting  in  crossing  the 
mountains,  I  took  a  boat  for  Zanesville  down  the  Ohio 
and  up  the  Muskingum  River,  as  there  was  then  a  line 
of  boats  running  between  these  two  places.  This  part 
of  the  trip  was  a  delight  to  me.  It  was  in  marked 
contrast  with  the  discomforts  experienced  on  the  way 
to  the  smoky  city,  of  which  I  had  heard  much  in  my 
boyhood,  but  in  which  I  was  not  in  a  mood  to  take 
much  interest  when  I  arrived  there.  The  boat  was 
comfortable  and  the  scenery  along  the  banks  was 
beautiful.  There  was  nothing  to  mar  the  pleasure 
of  the  river  voyage.  Not  even  the  scraping  of  the  boat 
in  the  shallow  places  disturbed  me.  But  a  remark  by 
the  pilot,  with  whom  I  often  conversed  when  the  hours 
grew  long,  made  it  clear  to  me  why  the  line  between 
Pittsburg  and  Zanesville  was  abandoned.  Looking 
forward  on  the  Muskingum  and  perceiving  but  a  nar- 
row channel  along  the  banks  of  sand,  I  asked  him  how 
he  would  pass  such  a  barrier;  he  replied  that  the  only 
rational  way  was  to  put  on  more  steam  and  shut  his 


btm  ot  9^v  ilfte 


eyes.  It  is  the  way  of  many  a  human  project.  Our 
boat  scraped  through  and  we  arrived  at  Zanesville 
without  disaster.  The  journey  from  there  to  Circle- 
ville  was  more  adventuresome.  It  had  to  be  made  by 
stage-coach  and  the  roads  were  bad.  Ohio  was  then 
comparatively  a  new  state  and  in  many  respects  was 
still  in  a  primitive  condition.  The  national  road  was 
indeed  in  progress  and  passed  through  Zanesville. 
But  its  course  was  towards  Columbus,  whither  I  was 
not  going  and  never  thought  of  going.  Even  the 
national  pike  was  not  inviting  to  travelers,  but  "the 
other  roads  were  almost  impassable.  Still  the  coach 
had  other  passengers  booked  for  Lancaster  besides 
myself,  and  started  out  as  usual  on  its  regular  trip. 
With  the  help  of  the  travelers,  who  not  only  walked 
much  of  the  way,  but  volunteered  their  services  to 
prevent  upsetting  of  the  coach  on  the  hill-sides  and 
swamping  in  the  mud  of  low  places,  we  reached  our 
destination  in  safety,  though  the  way  was  long  and 
the  work  was  hard.  The  difficulty  was  not  so  great 
to  reach  Circleville  on  the  following  day,  although  I 
learned  to  appreciate  the  saying  which  was  common 
in  those  days,  that  travel  by  coach  meant  paying  the 
price  and  walking  all  the  way,  with  special  good  for- 
tune if  one  was  not  required  to  carry  a  rail  to  help 


&t0t^  ot  9^?  Efte 


the  coach  in  swampy  emergencies.  I  learned  more  of 
such  travel  later,  when  I  undertook  the  prolongation 
of  my  journey  to  Columbus,  but  was  well  content 
when  the  coach  drew  up  in  good  condition  at  the  hotel 
in  Circleville,  which,  so  far  as  I  then  knew,  was  the 
end  of  my  journey. 

After  a  little  refreshment  and  rest  I  was  now 
ready  for  business.  Everything  was  satisfactory  at 
the  United  Brethren  printing  establishment,  though  it 
seemed  to  me  that  a  little  surprise  was  manifested  at 
the  appearance  there  of  a  mere  boy  to  do  the  expected 
work.  Mr.  Geiger,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  his  father,  lived  across  the  street  from 
the  hotel,  and  I  made  no  delay  in  paying  him  a  visit 
and  presenting  the  letter.  He  immediately  showed 
an  interest  in  me,  and  when  in  our  conversation  I 
mentioned  Rev.  Schaeffer's  letter,  he  proposed  at  once 
to  accompany  me  to  the  house  of  Rev.  J.  Roof,  who 
was  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  congregation  at  Circleville. 
We  there  talked  further  of  my  purpose  and  the  result 
was  the  proposal  of  Rev.  Roof  that  I  should  at  once 
go  to  Columbus  and  enter  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Synod  of  Ohio.  I  had  never 
heard  of  such  a  Seminary  and  of  such  a  Synod,  but 

that  presented  no  difficulty  to  my  mind.     The  difficulty 

70 


fetot?  of  S©g  %iU 


was  rather  that  I  had  assumed  an  obligation  to  the 
printing  house  at  Circleville,  and  that  I  had  no  money 
to  support  myself  at  Columbus,  as  my  trip  had  well- 
nigh  exhausted  my  savings.  But  my  new  friends 
persisted  in  their  opinion  that  the  obstacles  in  my  way 
were  not  insurmountable.  Past.  Roof  at  once  proposed 
to  provide  for  my  support  at  the  Seminary,  and  both 
he  and  Mr.  Geiger  agreed  that  a  way  could  be  found 
by  which  I  could  be  honorably  released  from  my  con- 
tract with  the  United  Brethren.  At  the  close  of  our 
protracted  conference,  Mr.  Geiger  insisted  that  instead 
of  returning  to  the  hotel,  as  was  my  intention,  I  should 
accompany  him  to  his  house  and  make  that  my  home 
during  my  stay  at  Circleville.  He  at  once  sent  for  my 
baggage  and  had  it  taken  to  the  comfortable  room 
which  he  assigned  to  me.  I  was  bewildered  by  all  this 
kindness  to,  a  stranger,  especially  as  I  was  cordially 
welcomed  and  treated  as  a  member  of  the  family  by 
Mrs.  Geiger,  than  whom  I  have  rarely  met  a  more 
intelligent  and  genial  body.  The  weeks  spent  in  that 
hospitable  home  were  among  the  pleasantest  of  my  life, 
and  my  heart  never  ceased  to  be  grateful  to  my  new 
friends. 

It  did  not  prove  as  difficult  to  make  arrangements 

for  going  to  Columbus  as  I  had  apprehended.     The 

71 


fetor?  ot  ^v  %iit 


managers  of  the  publishing  house  were  not  only  rea- 
sonable, but  even  generous.  They  had  a  just  claim 
upon  my  services.  It  was  easy  to  see  how  my  failure 
to  do  the  work  for  which  I  had  been  employed  would 
embarrass  them.  The  paper  must  be  issued,  and  I 
owed  it  to  them  as  they  owed  it  to  their  subscribers  to 
issue  it.  We  agreed  that  I  should  be  freed  from  all 
further  obligations  if  I  would  print  two  numbers, 
which  would  allow  them  a  month's  time  to  secure  an- 
other printer,  the  paper  being  a  semi-monthly.  We 
further  agreed  that  I  should  do  this  work  at  my  con- 
venience, without  waiting  until  the  second  issue  was 
due.  The  editor  of  the  paper  furnished  the  copy  as 
fast  as  I  needed  it;  and  in  two  weeks  my  work  was 
done,  my  purse  was  replenished  by  the  $24  for  four 
weeks'  labor  according  to  the  original  contract,  and 
I  was  ready  for  the  Seminary.  Meantime  Past.  Roof 
had  made  all  the  necessary  preparations  for  my  recep- 
tion at  Columbus. 

I  could  have  gone  on  the  day  after  my  work  was 
done,  but  the  coach  was  not  ready.  Heavy  rains  had 
soaked  the  roads  and  swollen  the  streams,  and  when  I 
with  several  others  appeared  at  the  office,  the  manager 
of  the  stage  line  informed  us  that  it  would  be  impossible 

to  send  out  a  coach  that  day.     We  waited  until  the  next 

72 


fetotp  ot  a^p  %itt 


morning,  but  were  again  told  that  the  horses  could 
not  drag  the  heavy  coach  through  the  deep  mud  and 
that  the  streams  could  not  be  crossed.  This  was  re- 
peated several  days,  when  some  who  had  engaged  pas- 
sage to  Columbus  became  uneasy.  One  morning,  long 
before  the  dawn  appeared,  when  we  presented  ourselves 
as  usual  at  the  office,  two  lawyers  protested  that  longer 
delay  would  be  unendurable,  that  on  the  following  day 
they  had  business  in  court  which  must  be  attended  to, 
and  that  some  way  must  be  devised  to  take  them  to 
Columbus.  My  business  was  not  as  urgent  as  theirs, 
but  I  was  as  eager  to  go  as  any  of  them  and  helped 
all  I  could  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  the  manager 
of  the  coach  line.  He  was  a  man  to  be  reasoned  with. 
He  appreciated  the  perplexing  situation  of  those  upon 
whom  the  necessity  lay  of  being  in  Columbus  on  the 
morrow.  But  he  saw  no  practicable  way  of  affording 
relief.  He  assured  us  that  daily  inspections  were  made 
of  the  route,  and  that  as  soon  as  it  could  be  done  with- 
out imminent  danger,  a  coach  would  be  started  to  Col- 
umbus. The  anxious  attorneys  insisted  that  they  must 
go  and  that  heroic  measures  should  be  adopted  when 
necessity  demands  it.  The  outcome  of  the  earnest 
consultation  was  that  if  a  driver  could  be  found  who 

would  undertake  the  daring  journey  and  the  passen- 

73 


fetot^  oe  Q$v  ^itt 


gers  would  assume  all  risks  of  their  lives  and  their 
belongings,  he  would  send  out  a  coach.  One  of  the 
drivers  present,  who  averred  that  he  had  gone  through 
many  a  troublesome  trip  and  who  knew  little  of  fear, 
agreed  to  go,  provided  that  a  pilot  should  be  sent  ahead 
to  select  the  path  and  the  route;  and  the  passengers 
agreed  to  assume  all  risks  so  far  as  it  concerned  them- 
selves. It  was  expressly  agreed  that  if  at  any  point 
on  the  way  the  pilot  should  decide  that  the  coach  can 
go  no  further,  the  passengers  must  themselves  provide 
a  way  to  go  on  or  to  get  back.  It  was  not  a  wise 
agreement,  but  the  voice  of  the  attorney  who  had  large 
interests  at  stake  prevailed,  and  we  all  consented.  So 
we  started  off  about  day-break  on  the  venturesome  trip. 
I  am  diffident  about  saying  much  of  our  adven- 
tures because,  as  conditions  now  are,  some  of  them  will 
hardly  seem  probable.  It  was  a  perilous  journey. 
Ever  and  anon  the  pilot  on  horse-back  would  come  back 
to  the  coach  and  inform  the  driver  that  he  must  leave 
the  roadway  which  was  washed  by  overflowing  streams, 
if  he  was  still  resolved  to  go  on.  Fences  were  laid 
down  and  we  went  on.  Once  he  reported  that  the 
bridge  across  a  creek  which  we  must  pass  was  a  foot 
or  more  under  water,  and  that  we  must  stop  or  risk  our 
lives  in  the  current.     We  went  on  without  missing  the 

74 


fetot?  ot  ^v  ^itt 


overflowed  bridge,  and  reached  the  other  side  in  safety. 
At  another  time  he  reported  that  a  bridge  was  entirely 
washed  away  and  that  there  was  no  possibiHty  of 
further  advance  unless  a  way  were  devised  to  effect  a 
crossing.  Under  the  driver's  direction  we  built  an 
emergency  bridge  and  crossed  it  without  mishap.  At 
another  place  he  reported  that  a  mere  rivulet  had  be- 
come too  deep  for  horses  and  coach,  and  that  it  would 
endanger  the  lives  of  all  the  passengers  to  attempt  a 
crossing.  A  council,  was  held  and  in  the  desperate 
mood  which  possessed  all  of  us,  we  voted  that  the 
driver  should  plunge  into  the  current  in  the  endeavor 
to  reach  the  other  side. —  He  failed. —  The  coach 
stuck  fast  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  and  no  effort 
could  move  it.  But  as  the  bed  of  the  rivulet  was 
narrow,  the  leading  horses  were  with  their  front  feet 
on  the  other  side,  while  the  coach  was  mired  in  the 
middle.  The  only  proper  thing  to  do  now  was  to  climb 
out  and  over  the  horses,  which  we  all  did  and  thus 
escaped,  while  the  coach,  relieved  of  its  load,  was  pulled 
through  without  damage.  With  much  labor  we  finally 
reached  Columbus  after  night-fall,  weary,  but  un- 
harmed. 

During  the  few  weeks  of  my  sojourn  at  Circle- 
ville  I  had  made  some  pleasant  acquaintances  besides 

75 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


the  good  friends  who  received  me  so  cordially,  and  I 
left  with  some  regret  to  go  again  among  strangers. 
But  it  has  always  been  my  happy  lot  to  find  good  peo- 
ple in  the  world  that  lieth  in  wickedness.  Pastor  Roof 
had  prepared  the  way  for  me  in  Columbus,  and  1  was 
at  once  welcomed  at  the  Seminary  as  a  brother,  not 
treated  as  a  stranger,  and  I  soon  felt  myself  at  home 
in  the  new  conditions  and  surroundings. 

Rev.  C.  Spielmann,  who  had  charge  of  the  board- 
ing house,  received  me  kindly,  and  he  and  his  good 
wife,  who  was  one  of  the  most  motherly  of  women, 
did  all  that  was  possible  for  my  comfort,  so  that  it  was 
not  long  until  I  was  enjoying  the  balmy  sleep  that 
tired  nature  needs  for  its  restoration.  The  morning 
found  me  rested  and  ready  for  work.  But  everything 
was  unusual  around  me  and  I  had  to  adapt  myself  to 
circumstances  that  were  strange  to  me,  though  I  was 
not  treated  as  a  stranger. 

Rev.  Spielmann,  the  head  of  the  family  in  which 

the  boarders  of  the  Seminary  belonged,  was  a  man 

whose  one  passion  was  love  for  Christ  and  the  Church 

which  He  had  purchased  with  His  own  blood,  and 

which  He  had  constituted  His  Body,  and  for  the  Ev. 

Lutheran  Church  in  particular  with  its  pure  word  and 

sacrament  as  the  only  adequate  representation  of  that 

76 


Rf-V.  C".  Si'ir.i.MAX 


&tot?  0t  m  2t(te 


Body  among  the  visible  churches.     He  had  been  one 
of  the  first  students  of  the  Columbus  Seminary,  and 
in  his  poverty  was  inured  to  hardships.     His  zeal  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry  had  well  nigh  consumed  him, 
and  although  yet  a  young  man  was  already  an  invalid. 
But  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  do  anything  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  Church,  he  refused  to  rest  from  his 
labors,  and  still  continued,  as  he  did  throughout  a 
long  life,  to  do  what  he  could.    He  was  now,  besides 
being  house-father  to  the  Seminary,  the  chief  Editor 
of  the  Lutheran  Standard,  an  English  semi-monthly 
journal  which  the  Ohio  Synod  was  publishing  under 
many  difficulties.    To  his  influence  I  am  indebted  for 
much  of  the  good  which  afterwards  inspired  me  in  the 
work  of  the  Church,  and  for  many  years  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  counting  him  one  of  my  closest  friends  and 
of  working  together  with  him  in  the  service  of  the 
dear  Master  who  is  our  Saviour.     He  left  us  only  a 
few  years  ago,  and  as  I  write  I  anticipate  the  joy  of 
meeting  him  in  our  heavenly  home  not  many  days 

hence. 

In  the  morning  I  was  introduced  to  Prof.  W.  F. 
Lehmann,  who  was  at  that  time  the  only  teacher  in  the 
Seminary.  He,  too,  received  me  kindly,  but  with  less 
demonstrativeness   than   his   older   co-worker   in   the 

77 


fetot^  ot  9^v  Jiitt 


cause  to  which  they  were  equally  devoted.  He,  too, 
had  received  his  theological  education  at  the  Seminary 
of  which  he  was  now  the  head,  and  had  been  a  fel- 
low student  with  Rev.  Spielmann.  They  had  en- 
dured hardness  together  as  students,  had  labored 
in  the  ministry,  and  remained  fast  friends  during 
all  their  lives.  Prof.  Lehmann  was  then  barely 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  but  during  the  short  period 
of  his  service  before  my  becoming  a  student  under 
him  had  already  given  proof  of  his  fitness  for  the 
place  to  which  he  had  been  called.  He  had  not  had 
the  advantages  of  a  thoi''ough  college  training,  but  his 
attainments  in  many  of  the  branches  usually  taught  at 
colleges  were  superior  to  those  of  many  a  graduate, 
and  his  intellectual  power  was  extraordinary.  He  had 
not  the  magnetism  of  Rev.  Spielmann,  but  I  soon 
learned  to  appreciate  his  gifts  and  untiring  devotion  to 
his  work,  and  found  in  him,  while  a  student  and  ever 
after,  a  constant  friend,  whose  conscientiousness  atoned 
for  his  apparent  coldness. 

In  a  few  days  I  learned  how  provision  was  made 
for  the  support  of  theological  students  who  lacked 
means  of  their  own.  I  was  called  before  a  Synodical 
committee  for  an  examination,  and  as  this  proved  sat- 
isfactory was  received  as  a  beneficiary.     That  meant 


78 


m'^^^^::      ^'  ^"V'5^.A:^r^:^^^^str;^/<^/p 


'^^>^;%^;>fff-' ; 


Pkof.    W.    F.   Lehmaxx. 


&tot^  oe  9^v  ^itt 


that  the  Synod  would  provide  for  my  board  and  furn- 
ish me  a  room,  while  for  all  the  rest  I  must  look  to  my 
own  resources.  At  the  end  of  each  term  it  was  re- 
quired that  a  note  should  be  given  by  the  beneficiary 
for  the  amount  expended,  said  note  made  payable 
without  interest  whenever  he  felt  able  to  refund  the 
money.  The  terms  seemed  to  me  perfectly  fair,  and 
so  they  seem  to  me  still.  I  presume  that  I  was  as 
sensitive  in  regard  to  the  needless  imposition  of  bur- 
dens as  the  average  student,  but  the  debt  never  bur- 
dened me,  although  it  admonished  me  to  indulge  in  no 
luxuries  which  would  require  the  use  of  money  that 
was  much  needed  in  a  work  whose  benefits  I  held  in 
grateful  remembrance.  My  salary  was  small  when  I 
entered  the  ministry,  but  it  required  only  economy 
which  is  desirable  under  any  circumstances  to  refund 
in  a  few  years  all  that  was  received.  The  plan  adopted 
in  that  day  of  small  things  was  excellent,  and  with 
a  few  modifications  looking  to  a  better  certification  of 
the  applicant's  worthiness  would  still  be  better,  in  my 
estimation,  than  any  which  has  been  adopted  since. 
With  my  small  savings,  amounting  now  to  little  more 
than  the  wages  which  I  received  for  my  work  at  Cir- 
cleville,  my  financial  prospects  were  not  brilliant,  but 
I  returned  to  my  room  in  good  spirits.    What  I  had 

79 


fetot^  0t  9^^  Jiitt 


long  desired  was  now  realized.    I  was  a  regular  stu- 
dent in  a  Theological  Seminary. 

There  was  as  little  grandeur  in  my  new  environ- 
ment as  there  was  in  the  magnitude  of  my  purse.  I 
had  a  little  preparation  for  this  in  the  contrast  between 
the  Lutheran  Church  in  Circleville  and  that  at  Har- 
risburg,  and  I  was  not  offended  or  in  any  way  dissat- 
isfied or  disheartened.  The  Ohio  Synod,  if  not  still 
in  its  infancy,  being  nearly  thirty  years  of  age,  had 
only  recently  learned  to  walk  and  go  forward  without 
its  Pennsylvania  mother.  It  had  worked  hard  and 
struggled  bravely,  small  and  poor  as  it  was,  and  had 
reached  its  present  stage  through  tribulations.  It  was 
barely  twelve  years  old  when  it  established  the  Sem- 
inary at  Canton,  and  this  consisted  only  in  appointing 
Rev.  Wm,  Schmidt,  who  was  pastor  at  that  place,  to 
prepare  several  young  men  for  the  ministry.  A  year 
later  he  was  transferred  to  Columbus  with  his  little 
company  of  students.  When  he  died  at  an  early  age, 
the  Synod  had  grown  somewhat  stronger  and  at- 
tempted larger  things.  Two  professors  of  theology 
were  appointed,  but  dissensions  arose  between  them, 
and  they  had  to  abandon  the  work.  A  less  sturdy 
body  of  Christians  might  have  been  discouraged  and 
abandoned  it  with  them.    The  Synod  did  not  abandon 

80 


m  O 

HI  J 

u 


<?    ^  ^ 


u 


&t0tp  ot  9^p  %iit 


it,  but  went  forward  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  did 
not  fail.  The  blow  to  the  Seminary  was  severe,  in- 
volving the  congregation  which  had  been  gathered  in 
Columbus  and  making  further  support  of  the  institu- 
tion difficult.  Synod  was  forced  to  begin  again  on  a 
smaller  scale.  When  I  entered  the  Seminary  it  had 
but  the  one  professor  who  had  but  recently  taken  up 
the  work,  and  of  him  more  was  expected  than  any 
man  could  adequately  render.  But  Prof.  Lehmann  was 
a  man  of  rugged  and  great  power  of  physical  endur- 
ance as  well  as  of  stalwart  faith  and  indomitable  will, 
and  the  work  was  in  good  progress  when  I  came.  He 
had  reorganized  the  congregational  work,  forming  two 
congregations,  one  German,  the  other  English,  of  both 
of  which  he  was  pastor;  and  also  the  seminary  work, 
forming  a  preparatory  school  after  the  manner  of  an 
academy,  and  a  school  for  the  study  of  theology  after 
the  manner  of  a  seminary,  of  both  of  which  he  was 
teacher.  It  was  a  herculean  task  for  which  no  man 
was  sufficient,  but  he  did  what  he  could  and  his  work 
was  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  The  work  gradually 
grew,  help  was  supplied  as  means  increased,  and  the 
institution  became  one  of  power  and  influence  in  the 
land. 

The  Seminary  had  a  fine  piece  of  property  in  the 
6  81 


fetot^  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


southern  portion  of  the  city,  consisting  of  ten  acres  of 
land  extending  from  High  street  westward  to  the 
Scioto  river.  On  this  the  Synod  had  erected  a  two- 
story  brick  house  which  served  as  a  residence  for  the 
professor  and  the  necessary  class  room,  and  a  larger 
three-story  building  which  was  comparatively  new  as 
a  home  for  the  house-father  and  a  boarding  house 
for  the  students.  In  the  rear  of  the  latter  was  a  frame 
structure  where  the  "Lutheran  Standard"  was  printed. 
Everything  was  plain  and  unpretentious,  but  it  was 
adapted  to  the  simple  wants  of  the  institution,  and  all 
were  contented  and  thankful  to  be  so  well  housed. 

In  connection  with  the  theological  branches, 
which  I  pursued  with  eager  assiduity,  I  continued  the 
study  of  Latin  and  Greek,  later  adding  also  the  He- 
brew. There  were  but  one  or  two  others  who  were 
far  enough  advanced  to  form  with  me  a  class  in  Livy 
and  Homer,  while  the  class  reading  the  Greek  New 
Testament  contained  a  few  more.  As  there  were  only 
eight  or  ten  of  us  in  all,  and  some  of  these  only  in  the 
preparatory  department  without  designing  to  study 
theology,  the  classes  were  necessarily  small.  This  en- 
abled the  over-burdened  teacher  to  give  more  attention 
to  the  wants  of  each  individual  during  the  recitations, 


&mv  ot  9$v  ^itt 


although  it  imposed  the  necessity  of  making  these  less 
frequent. 

I  made  satisfactory  progress  in  the  study  of  lan- 
guages, to  which  my  work  in  the  preparatory  course 
was  limited,  so  that  when  I  left  the  Seminary  I  could 
read  the  easier  theological  Latin  without  much  need 
of  mental  translation,  and  had  a  good  foundation  for 
the  study  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  original  tongues 
for  all  the  practical  purposes  of  a  pastor.  To  a  critical 
scholarship  in  philology,  as  it  is  requisite  for  learned 
exegesis,  I  never  attained,  as  circumstances  always 
directed  my  studies  into  a  different  channel. 

But  I  had  come  to  Columbus  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  for  the  ministry,  and  as  I  had  acquired  suf- 
ficient knowledge  of  languages  to  meet  all  the  demands 
of  the  Seminary,  my  main  strength  was  devoted  to 
theology,  of  which  I  knew  but  little.  That  a  system 
different  from  that  in  vogue  at  Gettysburg,  whither  I 
had  intended  to  go  as  soon  as  my  means  would  permit, 
was  taught  here,  did  not  at  all  trouble  me.  I  was  too 
ignorant  of  doctrinal  differences  to  make  any  account 
of  this,  and  when  in  the  progress  of  my  study  I  became 
aware  of  dividing  lines  between  churches  of  different 
denominations  and  of  disagreements  and  distinctions 
even  among  those  calling  themselves  Lutherans,  my 


fetors  ot  99v  llitt 


choice  was  already  made.  I  knew  Christianity  only 
as  I  learned  it  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  the  Luth- 
eran theology  as  it  was  taught  in  the  Seminary  was 
built  on  the  foundation  which  had  been  laid  in  my 
soul  and  accorded  with  the  faith  by  which  I  lived  my 
Christian  life,  so  that  I  had  no  difficulties  in  this  re- 
spect. What  was  taught  in  the  Catechism  of  Luther 
and  in  the  Augsburg  Confession,  with  which  I  now 
became  acquainted,  seemed  to  me  in  exact  accordance 
with  what  is  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  the  inspiration 
and  infallible  authority  of  which  I  never  doubted. 
Thus  as  I  grew  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  of 
the  Lutheran  Confession,  I  grew  also  in  my  admira- 
tion of  the  great  Church  of  the  Reformation  and 
waxed  stronger  in  the  faith  which  that  Church  con- 
fesses. Notwithstanding  that  I  had  come  from  a  con- 
gregation of  the  General  Synod,  which  was  not  in  the 
best  repute  among  Ohioans,  my  Lutheran  faith  and 
firmness  were  never  called  in  question.  The  history 
of  the  Church  made  it  plain  to  me  that  the  kingdom 
which  Christ  established  on  earth  and  which  is  founded 
upon  the  truth  to  which  He  bears  witness,  cannot  be 
maintained  by  human  wisdom  or  might,  but  lives  and 
flourishes  only  by  the  power  of  its  King,  and  that  its 
subjects  are  loyal  and  render  effectual  service  in  main- 

84 


&tDt^  Dt  ^V  ^itt 


taining  and  spreading  that  kingdom  only  when  they 
strictly  adhere  to  that  truth  and  become  witnesses  both 
of  its  heavenly  authority  and  saving  power.  And  this 
other  thing  became  plain  to  me  also,  that  the  Reforma- 
tion was  the  work  of  this  King  of  saints  and  the  Luth- 
eran Church  is  the  result  of  that  work.  In  accordance 
with  this  it  seemed  to  me  that  complete  fidelity  to  the 
Lord  required  strict  fidelity  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Of  course,  not  everything  pertaining  to  this  subject 
was  then  perfectly  clear  in  my  mind,  but  my  Lutheran 
convictions  were  growing  in  strength. 

To  this  my  intercourse  with  Rev.  Spielmann  per- 
haps contributed  as  much  as  the  instruction  of  Prof. 
Lehmann.  I  think  both  were  then  more  pronounced  in 
their  Lutheranism  than  was  usual  in  the  Ohio  Synod, 
but  by  no  means  in  antagonism  to  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment. They  were  leaders  and  were  therefore  in  ad- 
vance of  the  flock.  But  Pastor  Spielmann,  who  was 
much  more  a  man  of  feeling  and  therefore  less  reticent 
than  our  teacher,  who  never  became  enthusiastic  and 
had  not  the  gift  of  inspiring  others  with  enthusiasm, 
was  the  leading  spirit  among  us  boys.  He  loved  the 
Church  of  the  Reformation  with  a  love  so  intense  that 
it  would  find  expression  always  and  everywhere,  if 
the  least  opportunity  was  offered. 

85 


fetotp  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


At  that  time  the  work  of  the  Saxon  Lutherans 
who  formed  the  Synod  of  Missouri  had  already  begun, 
and  the  "Lutheraner"  was  read  with  avidity  by  Bro. 
Spielmann  and  regularly  given  to  me  for  perusal.  I 
read  it  eagerly,  and  rejoiced  in  the  testimony  which  it 
gave  to  the  truth  which  the  Reformation  had  restored 
to  the  Church  and  in  the  zeal  which  it  displayed  in  the 
defence  of  that  truth.  It  was  a  good  work  which  the 
Missourians  took  in  hand,  and  it  did  not  require  much 
Lutheran  life  to  subject  a  person  to  the  stimulating 
power  of  their  fervent  zeal  and  stirring  appeals. 

As  far  as  I  can  remember  there  was  not  the  re- 
motest danger  that  the  publications  of  the  Lutherans 
of  Missouri,  and  Bro.  Spielmann's  sympathy  with  their 
earnest  self-denying  labors,  would  work  any  injury  to 
our  Seminary  and  its  aims  and  interests,  notwithstand- 
ing that  the  men  at  the  head  of  the  Lutheran  move- 
ment in  the  west  were  not  partial  to  the  Ohio  Synod, 
from  which  a  few  of  those  who  joined  it  had  seceded. 
At  that  time  there  was  great  need  for  strenuous  efforts 
to  revive  in  Lutheran  hearts  a  consciousness  of  their 
rich  heritage,  and  so  far  as  these  efforts  met  with  any 
success  in  our  vSeminary  it  inured  entirely  to  the  ben- 
efit of  the  Ohio  Synod,  which  never  had  a  more  loyal 
and  devoted  member  than  Rev.  Spielmann,  and  among 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


the  students  probably  I  was  more  powerfully  influenced 
than  the  others,  and  I  labored  in  the  Ohio  Synod  with 
a  heart  sincerely  devoted  to  its  welfare  and  its  work 
all  my  life. 

The  antecedents  of  all  of  us  were  such  as  to  sug- 
gest the  need  of  such  a  tonic  to  brace  us  against  the 
strong  winds  of  liberalism  and  fanaticism  and  union- 
ism that  were  blowing  over  the  land,  or  to  stir  us  up 
amid  the  indifferentism  which  was  destroying  all  earn- 
est faith  and  life.  Of  my  fellow  students  two  were 
from  Germany  and  had  little  knowledge  of  the 
Church's  condition  and  wants  in  this  land  of  sects; 
one  had  studied  law  and  like  the  other  two,  whose  ex- 
perience had  all  been  gathered  in  state  churches,  had 
great  confidence  in  the  power  of  government  by  eccle- 
siastical authority;  one  was  from  Switzerland,  who 
with  all  his  piety  needed  a  better  appreciation  of  pure 
doctrine ;  the  other  two  were  from  Ohio  congregations 
and  had  not  had  more  opportunity  than  myself  to  know 
the  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  to  realize  its 
high  calling  in  this  land  of  the  free.  In  every  respect 
the  literature  of  the  "old  Lutherans"  circulated  among 
us  was  a  benefit  to  the  Seminary.  It  v/as  an  effective 
agency  to  counteract  the  evil  tendencies  of  the  time 
to  make  the  great  Church  of  the  Reformation  merely 

87 


fetors  ot  9^v  ILiU 


an  insignificant  sect  among  the  other  denominations 
of  this  country.  Prof.  Lehmann  never  fully  sympa- 
thized with  the  exclusiveness  of  the  Lutheranism  re- 
cently imported  from  Germany,  and  he  had  some 
reason  for  this,  because  it  made  too  little  account  of 
the  past  history  of  the  Church  in  America  and  of  ex- 
isting conditions  in  consequence  of  that  history ;  but  I 
think  he  was  glad  of  the  assistance  which  it  rendered 
him  in  impressing  on  our  minds  the  preciousness  of 
the  doctrines  which  he  taught. 

During  my  stay  at  the  Seminary  I  confined  myself 
closely  to  my  studies,  going  out  but  little  and  restrict- 
ing my  social  life  almost  exclusively  to  those  connected 
with  the  Seminary.  Occasionally  I  visited  families 
connected  with  our  small  congregation  in  the  city, 
especially  those  of  Messrs.  Lewis  and  John  Heyl,  who 
always  treated  me  kindly.  As  I  was  a  lover  of  music, 
I  met  with  the  choir  of  the  church  once  a  week,  and 
occasionally  Prof.  Lehmann  honored  me  by  calling  at 
my  room  to  play  duetts  on  the  flute,  an  instrument  of 
which  we  were  both  fond,  though  he  was  much  the 
better  player.  Now  and  then  I  was  the  guest  of  a 
family  in  the  country,  where  I  sometimes  spent  sev- 
eral days  with  great  delight  and  equal  benefit.  The 
company  of  ladies  was  not  sought.    It  was  much  en- 

88 


&tot?  ot  9^v  f^itt 


joyed  when  it  came  in  my  way,  but  I  did  not  crave  it, 
thinking  then  as  I  think  now  that  students  can  do  their 
work  better  without  much  indulgence  in  such  pleas- 
ures. 

To  meet  my  necessary  expenses  after  my  little 
stock  of  money  was  exhausted  I  fell  back  upon  my 
trade.  The  "Standard"  was  printed  in  a  small  build- 
ing in  the  rear  of  the  boarding  house,  and  the  printers 
usually  had  work  for  me  when  I  applied.  In  former 
years  I  had  learned  how  to  engage  in  work  and  study 
at  the  same  time.  I  never  allowed  my  labor  in  the 
printing  office  to  interfere  with  my  work  in  the  Sem- 
inary, but  earned  my  money  while  my  fellow  students 
played  or  slept.  This  was  not  conducive  to  my  health, 
as  it  had  not  been  in  my  earlier  experiences  at  Harris- 
burg,  but  I  had  no  other  means  of  putting  money  into 
my  empty  purse.  So  far  as  I  can  recollect  I  received, 
during  my  whole  Seminary  course,  only  two  dollars 
that  I  did  not  earn  by  my  own  labor.  These  were  given 
me  by  Pastor  Roof,  at  whose  instance  I  had  come  to 
Columbus,  at  whose  house  I  always  found  a  hospita- 
ble home  when  I  chose  to  visit  Circleville,  who  dur- 
ing my  whole  course  took  a  kindly  interest  in  my 
welfare,  and  to  whom  I  never  ceased  to  be  grateful. 
It  was  always  a  source  of  regret  to  me  that  he,  after 


&torp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


I  began  my  work  in  the  ministry,  interpreted  my  disa- 
greement with  him  in  some  matters  of  Church  practice 
as  sheer  ingratitude.  But  I  had  no  reason  to  complain 
since  I  had  the  power  to  supply  my  needs  by  God's 
blessing  through  my  own  labor.  When  our  own  print- 
ing office  could  not  give  me  enough  work,  as  during 
vacations,  the  State  Journal  printing  house  in  the  city 
was  always  ready  to  employ  me,  and  it  was  something 
of  a  temptation  to  me  that,  at  the  close  of  my  studies 
at  the  Seminary,  a  position  was  offered  me  as  printer 
with  wages  much  in  excess  of  the  salary  which  I  was 
to  receive  as  minister  of  the  gospel.  But  God  gave 
me  grace  to  adhere  to  my  purpose,  notwithstanding 
the  great  difficulties  which  by  His  inscrutable  provi- 
dence sometimes  came  in  the  way  of  its  execution. 

My  health  was  not  robust  when  I  entered  the  Sem- 
inary, and  it  was  not  better  when  I  left  it.  Nearly 
during  my  whole  course  I  suffered  from  nervous  head- 
ache. A  renewed  attack  of  inflammatory  rheuma- 
tism with  its  intense  pain  kept  me  confined  for  the 
usual  term  of  several  weeks  in  almost  perfect  helpless- 
ness while  I  was  at  the  Seminary.  But  I  was  not  dis- 
mayed. After  the  disease  had  run  its  course,  I  con- 
tinued my  studies,  notwithstanding  the  hindrance 
caused  by  my  infirmity.    But  in  the  last  term  a  more 

90 


&t0t»  ot  9^  %iU 


serious  impediment  was  interposed.  One  morning 
upon  arising,  without  knowing  the  cause,  I  found  it 
difficult  to  speak,  and  when  later  I  attempted  to  play 
the  flute,  I  failed  to  produce  a  sound.  Closer  investi- 
gation showed  that  my  left  eye  would  not  close,  that 
my  face  was  drawn  awry,  and  that  the  muscles  of  the 
whole  left  side  of  the  face  refused  to  perform  their 
functions.  After  several  days  of  worry  over  what  I 
thought  was  an  unusually  severe  cold,  I  consulted  a 
physician.  He  pronounced  it  facial  paralysis  and  in- 
formed me  that  a  cure,  if  possible  at  all,  would  be  a 
slow  process.  The  process  was  so  slow  that  there  was 
ample  reason  for  disheartenment.  Other  physicians 
were  consulted,  six  or  eight  in  all,  and  none  gave  me 
much  encouragement,  one  insisting  that  it  must  affect 
my  brain  and  make  further  progress  in  intellectual 
pursuits  impossible,  and  another  warning  me  that  a 
complete  paralysis  of  my  left  side  would  probably 
follow  in  the  near  future.  Only  one  of  them,  the  well 
known  Dr.  Smith,  gave  me  any  hope.  It  was  a  trying 
time,  and  little  comfort  was  to  be  found  anywhere,  but 
in  the  goodness  of  God,  who  had  thus  far  blessed  me 
above  all  I  could  ask  or  think.  I  had  no  pain,  but  my 
studies  were  continued  only  with  difficulty  under  cir- 
cumstances so  distressing.    Dr.  Smith  persevered,  but 

91 


&tor^  oC  S?p  ILitt 


without  much  apparent  success.  My  friends  extended 
their  sympathy  and  did  for  my  comfort  what  lay  in 
their  power,  but  my  hopes  seemed  blasted  on  the  eve 
of  their  fulfilment.  It  was  not  easy  for  others  to  advise 
or  for  me  to  decide  what  to  do.  Prof.  Lehmann  told 
me  that  if  I  did  not  recover  it  was  manifestly  the  Lord's 
will  that  I  should  serve  Him  in  some  other  way  than 
by  preaching  the  gospel,  and  assured  me  that  He  who 
doeth  all  things  well  would  provide  for  me,  whatever 
betide.  It  was  all  true,  and  I  beheved  it  all,  but  the 
comfort  seemed  to  me  cold.  There  was  nothing  for  me 
to  do  but  to  go  on  with  the  work  in  hand  as  well  as 
I  could  and  await  further  developments.  One  day 
Dr.  Smith  appeared  in  an  unusually  happy  mood  after 
examining  me.  There  were  slight  twitchings  in  the 
paralyzed  muscles  of  my  face  responding  to  the  treat- 
ment with  strychnine,  and  this  gave  him  hope  of  ulti- 
mate success.  He  then  informed  me  that  there  was 
but  one  more  remedy  known  to  him,  that  he  had  re- 
solved to  try  this  yet,  and  that  if  this  failed  he  would 
abandon  the  case  as  hopeless.  Now  he  was  confident 
that  help  was  at  hand.  The  strychnine  treatment  was 
continued  with  new  energy,  the  improvement  was  daily 
noticeable,  and  in  a  few  weeks  I  was  able  to  close  my 
eye  and  move  my  lip.     I  could  again  articulate  dis- 

92 


fetotg  Ot  9^V  ^ife 


tinctly,  and  in  a  month  or  two  it  was  evident  to  all 
concerned  that  my  affliction  would  be  no  bar  to  my 
entering  the  ministry.  Praising  God  I  took  courage, 
and  when  the  time  fixed  for  the  examination  of  can- 
didates came  I  was  ready.  That  my  course  at  the 
Seminary  was  so  short  was  not  my  doing.  The  author- 
ities no  doubt  placed  me  on  the  list  because  there  was 
a  scarcity  of  ministers  and  I  was  thought  qualified  for 
the  work. 

According  to  information  received  afterwards  I 
had  been  selected  for  the  Somerset  charge,  which  was 
one  of  the  most  important  vacancies  in  the  Synod,  and 
in  which  both  Rev.  Spielmann  and  Prof.  Lehmann  had 
been  pastors,  but  that  my  conduct  on  a  certain  occasion 
had  changed  the  purpose  of  those  making  the  nomin- 
ations. That  was  not  creditable  to  me.  But  I  was  en- 
tirely innocent  in  the  matter,  as  others  acted  on  the 
presumption  that  I  had  a  knowledge  of  certain  facts 
of  which  I  was  entirely  ignorant.  But  I  never  had 
reason  to  regret  that  I  was  called  to  Delaware,  even  if 
it  were  true  that  under  other  circumstances  I  would 
have  been  proposed  for  another  charge.  The  two  con- 
gregations forming  the  Delaware  charge  elected  me 
as  their  pastor,  and  thither  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  I 
went  as  minister  of  the  gospel. 

93 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PASTOR. 

WHEN  I  bade  adieu  to  the  Seminary  I  was  not 
yet  fully  aware  of  the  things  that  were  before 
me;  but  I  started  off  on  a  rather  rough  day  in  the 
stage-coach  to  assume  the  pastorate  at  Delaware. 
Probably  if  I  had  known  beforehand  all  that  this  meant, 
I  would  not  have  gone  in  a  mood  so  cheerful.  Neither 
the  solemn  import  of  the  pastoral  office  in  general,  with 
its  arduous  work  and  fearful  responsibilities,  nor  the 
peculiar  demands  of  the  charge  accepted  at  Delaware, 
were  adequately  appreciated.  I  use  the  word  probably, 
because  it  would  not  be  just  to  myself  if  I  had  made 
the  impression  that  I  entered  upon  the  great  office 
with  a  boyish  levity  that  had  little  regard  for  the  in- 
finite import  of  the  work  undertaken.  I  had  some 
sense  of  this  and  did  not  rush  recklessly  into  the  office ; 
but  that  sense  deepened  and  became  more  terrifying 
as  I  grew  older,  and  my  special  charge  became  better 
known. 

I  had  just  reached  the  twenty-first  year  of  my  age 

when  I  began  my  work  at  Delaware,  in  March,  1849. 

94 


&tDt»  ot  9^v  ^itt 


Physically  I  was  not  in  a  condition  to  endure  much 
hardness,  an  emaciated,  pale  faced  youth,  looking  so 
frail,  as  I  was  afterwards  told,  that  when  the  subject 
of  sending  a  delegate  to  Synod,  which  met  a  few 
months  later,  was  discussed  among  the  members,  the 
fear  that  I  would  die  on  the  way  was  a  factor  to  be 
reckoned  with.  I  could  not  impress  the  congregation 
as  a  man  inured  to  hard  labor  and  ready  for  emer- 
gencies. But  I  was  zealously  affected  in  the  good 
cause  in  which  I  was  engaged,  the  congregation  was 
satisfied,  and  gradually  gave  me  their  confidence, 
and  God  in  His  goodness  blessed  my  labors,  notwith- 
standing all  their  human  imperfections,  and  crowned 
them  with  success.  My  weak  body  was  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  strength  which  the  Lord 
whom  I  served  had  given  my  soul,  and  the  Gospel 
which  I  preached  exerted  its  power  unto  salvation. 
People  said  that  my  preaching  was  eloquent  and  there- 
fore effective ;  but  eloquence  is  a  virtue,  and  those  who 
speak  because  they  believe,  and  set  forth  the  eternal 
truth  in  a  tone  and  manner  making  it  plain  to  all  hear- 
ers that  they  are  ready  to  die  for  it,  are  always  eloquent, 
though  they  have  only  the  little  learning  and  command 
of  language  which  I  possessed,  or  even  less. 

The  condition  of  the  charge  which  I  accepted  was 
95 


fetot^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


not  inspiring,  unless  it  be  assumed,  as  may  be  done 
without  trifling  with  logic,  that  the  greater  the  need 
of  zealous  work  the  greater  the  inspiration  to  an 
earnest  soul  to  exert  all  its  powers  for  its  performance. 
My  predecessors  in  the  congregation  at  Delaware 
were  not  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  maintaining 
the  principles  of  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Church  with  the 
strictness  which  in  the  palmy  days  of  the  Reformation 
led  to  the  separation  of  the  Zwinglians  and  the  Calvin- 
ists  from  the  Lutheran  Church.  Our  congregation  and 
that  of  the  German  Reformed  occupied  the  same  build- 
ing, using  it  for  worship  on  alternate  Sundays.  It  was 
said  that  in  earlier  days  one  pastor  for  both  was 
thought  sufficient,  and  that  promiscuous  communion 
troubled  no  one's  conscience.  Liberalism  and  what  was 
called  brotherly  love  extended  even  so  far  that  Re- 
formed ministers  prepared  the  children  of  both  denomi- 
nations for  confirmation,  using  the  catechisms  of  both 
for  instruction,  and  making  only  this  difference  that 
afterwards  the  Lutheran  catechumens  were  confirmed 
by  a  Lutheran  pastor  who  was  invited  to  officiate  for 
the  occasion.  As  one  good  turn  deserves  another,  the 
Lutheran  pastor  was  expected  to  render  the  Reformed 
party  the  same  service.     Matters  were  not  quite  so 

bad  when  I  took  charge  at  Delaware.    According  to 

96 


The  Rev.  M.  Loy  as  Pastor  at  Delaware,  Ohio. 


fetotp  ot  9p^  %itt 


my  remembrance  it  would  even  have  been  impossible 
for  me  to  accept  the  call  pledging  me  to  treat  the  Re- 
formed as  if  they  were  Lutherans,  and  no  such  obli- 
gation was  imposed  upon  me.  The  Reformed  congre- 
gation had  its  own  pastor,  and  I  was  simply  called  to 
be  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  congregation  which  wor- 
shiped in  the  same  church  building. 

There  was  a  small  congregation  at  Middletown, 
now  Prospect,  which  was  part  of  the  parish  to  which 
I  was  called.  As  that  was  dependent  for  its  minis- 
trations upon  Delaware,  the  conditions  there  were  the 
same.  If  any  distinction  must  be  made  it  was  even 
more  decidedly  unionistic  than  the  mother  congrega- 
tion. There  also  the  Reformed  and  the  Lutheran 
united  in  building  a  church,  and  when  the  Reformed 
had  a  pastor  at  Delaware,  he  preached  also  at  Prospect. 

That  the  congregations  were  neither  large  nor 
wealthy  is  manifest  from  the  provision  made  for  my 
support.  No  fixed  salary  was  promised,  but  a  sub- 
scription was  started  and  I  was  to  receive  the  amount 
collected,  which  would  aggregate  $250.  Delaware 
raising  $170  and  Prospect  $80. 

The  question  of  money  had  never  much  engaged 

my  thoughts,  except  so  far  as  it  was  necessary  to  meet 

my  necessary  expenses,  and  I  thought  I  could  live  on 
7  97 


fetot^  ot  9dv  ^itt 


the  sum  indicated,  and  even  on  less  if  an  emergency 
came.  Subsequent  developments  showed  how  import- 
ant my  unselfishness,  at  least  in  this  respect,  was  for 
the  work  which  I  had  taken  in  hand. 

My  sincere  purpose  and  corresponding  effort  was 
to  preach  the  Gospel  in  its  purity  as  well  as  I  knew 
how,  and  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God  as  plainly 
as  I  could,  without  much  fear  of  men  and  without  much 
conscious  endeavor  to  gain  their  favor.  But  1  am 
writing  now  of  events  that  lie  half  a  century  behina 
me,  and  the  picture  may  receive  some  coloring  and 
some  shading  from  present  mental  conditions.  But  to 
the  best  of  my  recollection  my  sincere  desire  was  to  set 
forth  the  truth  of  God  and  to  move  the  people  to  ac- 
cept it  and  manifest  this  acceptance  by  a  life  of  holiness 
to  their  Redeemer's  praise.  That  I  did  not  conceal  the 
distinctive  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  but  rather 
gave  prominence  to  them  and  sometimes,  as  occasion 
offered,  in  polemical  opposition  to  errors  set  against 
them,  was  under  the  circumstances  unavoidable.  In 
my  pastoral  visits  also  the  condition  of  the  congrega- 
tion and  the  superior  claims  of  the  Lutheran  as  the 
mother  Church  of  Protestantism  was  a  favorite  topic 
of  conversation.  Little  by  little  a  better  appreciation 
of  our  rich  possessions  as  Ev.  Lutherans  was  thus  in- 


&tot^  DC  ^jV  %itt 


stilled,  and  our  people  stood  less  shamefaced  and  less 
wavering  amid  the  wind  and  waves  of  fanaticism  which 
swept  over  our  town  of  Delaware,  where  the  Metho- 
dists had  located  their  Wesleyan  University  and  which 
was  so  much  under  the  sway  of  Methodism  that  people 
talked  about  changing  its  name  to  Wesley ville.  Some 
of  the  more  sanguine  of  that  denomination  even  were 
bold  to  prophesy  that  not  many  years  hence  the  only 
churches  of  the  town  would  be  Methodist.  When 
members  of  my  congregation  told  me  of  these  things 
my  answer  could  hardly  be  other  than  that  ''the  Word 
of  God  they  shall  let  stand  and  not  a  thank  have  for 
it."  My  people  became  more  firm  and  bold,  and  I  was 
not  dismayed  but  rather  stirred  up  to  exert  all  the 
power  that  God  gave  me  to  proclaim  and  defend  His 
truth,  against  which  the  gates  of  hell,  I  well  knew, 
should  not  prevail.  By  the  grace  of  God  my  people 
grew  stronger,  and  I  grew  stronger  with  them.  And 
the  congregation  prospered  as  never  before. 

At  the  start  the  weakness  manifested  was  mostly 
my  ov/n.  When  we  had  gained  a  little  standing  in 
the  town  I  was  overrun  with  Unionistic  petitions  to  join 
in  various  enterprises  of  the  churches  and  enlist  my 
congregation  in  their  promotion.  Not  willing  to  for- 
feit the  little  prestige  which  we  had  gained,  I  warded 

99 


fetors  of  9^v  JMt 


off  the  solicitations  by  various  pleas,  chief  among 
which  was  that  our  congregation  was  German  and  that 
this  would  not  permit  an  active  co-operation  with 
English  congregations.  If  there  is  anything  v/hich  I 
am  now  ashamed  of,  as  I  look  back  upon  these  trying 
times,  it  is  this  temporizing  with  sects  against  which 
I  was  bound  to  contend.  But  it  was  only  for  a  little 
while  that  the  flesh  gained  ascendency  by  resorts  to 
the  sophistry  of  human  reason.  The  sectarians,  under 
the  promptings  of  a  false  conception  of  Christian  love, 
insisted  in  their  efforts  to  enlist  me  in  their  unionistic 
projects  until  I  was  compelled  and  by  the  grace  of  God 
was  enabled  to  stand  unequivocally  by  my  colors  and 
declare  my  inability  with  a  good  conscience  to  comply 
with  their  request.  Then  I  had  peace  and,  while  wild 
fanatics  condemned  me  and  my  people,  I  gained  in  the 
respect  of  the  more  intelligent  part  of  the  community 
and  in  the  confidence  of  my  congregation. 

But  it  was  not  the  Delaware  public  to  which  I  was 
called  to  minister.  Its  estimate  of  me,  important  as 
it  was  in  regard  to  my  moral  worth,  was  a  secondary 
matter  in  regard  to  my  Church  work.  With  a  position 
that  I  was  compelled  to  take  in  regard  to  the  relation  of 
my  congregation  to  others,  I  could  not  expect  the  sym- 
pathy ""of  Christians  who  professed  a  different  faith, 

100 


fetotg  0f  ^v  ^itt 


especially  since  then  as  now  the  prevailing  sentiment 
was  against  emphasizing  distinctive  doctrines  and 
favorable  to  fraternal  fellowship  without  reference  to 
denominational  differences.  It  is  a  well  nigh  hopeless 
task  in  our  time  to  convince  members  of  a  sect  that 
divisions  in  the  Church  are  sin,  and  that  persistence  in 
the  maintenance  of  separate  church  organizations, 
without  insisting  on  their  distinctive  doctrines  as  a  jus- 
tification in  conscience  of  the  division  so  rendered  nec- 
essary by  fidelity  to  the  truth  revealed  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  is  a  confession  of  guilt.  It  ought  to  be  plain 
to  any  sane  mind  that  a  difference  which  justified  the 
organization  of  the  separate  church  must  forbid  church 
fellowship  with  those  from  whom  the  separation  took 
place.  If  it  is  possible  with  a  good  conscience  to  re- 
main in  fellowship  with  the  church  to  which  we  belong 
it  is  a  violation  of  the  divine  command  to  start  a  new 
church ;  if  it  is  impossible  and  thus  a  scriptural  ground 
of  separation  exists,  that  which  makes  it  necessary  to 
renounce  the  former  fellowship  must  remain  a  barrier 
in  the  way  of  fellowship  after  as  well  as  before  the 
separation.  I  was  a  Lutheran.  Christianity  as  I  knew 
it,  and  as  I  know  it  now,  is  Lutheran.  My  maternal 
training,  my  Christian  experiences,  and  my  theological 

education,  were  all  Lutheran.     I  had  indeed  learned 

101 


fetor?  of  9^v  ^itt 


something  of  other  clenoniinations  of  Christians.  My 
habit  when  I  was  a  printer  at  Harrisburg  was,  at  one 
period,  to  attend  any  church  that  suited  my  fancy.  I 
visited  camp  meetings  and  was  a  spectator  at  many  a 
so-called  revival.  I  had  no  prejudices  that  hindered 
the  effect  of  any  legitimate  appeal  to  my  conscience. 
My  ignorance  of  denominational  diilerences  was  a 
protection  against  that.  But  I  was  sincere  when  at  my 
confirmation  I  vowed  allegiance  to  the  Ev.  Lutheran 
Church.  My  theological  education  did  not  teach  me  to 
ignore  other  churches.  I  learned  somicthing  more  about 
them  and  I  was  not  induced  to  depreciate  the  good 
that  is  in  them.  But  I  learned  something  more  also 
about  the  Lutheran  Church  and  was  heartily  in  accord 
with  what  I  learned.  I  was  now  called  to  be  a  Lu- 
theran pastor,  and  as  a  Lutheran  1  meant  to  be  honest. 
Other  denoniinations,  while  at  least  the  better  people 
among  them  appreciated  this  feature  in  my  character, 
did  not  like  its  necessary  consequences  in  my  conduct. 
Some  incidents,  although  they  did  not  all  occur  in  the 
earliest  years  of  my  ministry,  may  be  related  to  show 
the  difficulties  under  which  I  labored,  but  at  the  same 
time  to  impress  the  wisdom  of  strict  adherence  to  the 
Lutheran  Confession  in  building  up  Lutheran  congre^ 
gations. 

102 


&totv  of  ^V  ^itt 


The  spirit  and  method  of  my  ministry  was  noised 
abroad,  and  especially  the  Methodists,  who  largely 
controlled  the  sentiment  of  the  community,  took  um- 
brage at  my  honest  work.  Three  mJles  south  of  Dela- 
ware there  was  a  Methodist  congregation  at  a  small 
village  called  Stratford.  One  day  a  lady  of  my  con- 
gregation who  lived  there  came  to  my  house  with  the 
information,  that  the  preacher  there  had  made  a  savage 
attack  upon  the  Lutheran  Church  with  the  view  of 
creating  a  prejudice  against  me  and  my  congregation. 
A  goodly  number  of  our  members  lived  in  that  vicinity 
and  these  he  desired  to  win.  The  lady  was  a  staunch 
and  intelligent  Lutheran,  and  had  taken  notes.  These 
she  gave  me  with  the  request  to  do  what  I  could  to 
counteract  the  prejudicial  influence  that  had  been  ex- 
erted. I  declared  my  readiness  to  preach  at  Stratford 
in  reply  to  the  attack  made  upon  us,  and  requested  her 
to  have  an  appointment  made  at  some  appropriate  place 
for  the  purpose.  A  few  days  later  a  delegation  came 
from  Stratford  asking  my  consent  to  deliver  my  reply 
in  the  same  church  in  which  the  attack  was  made  and  on 
my  remarking  that  it  hardly  seemed  possible  to  secure 
the  Methodist  Church  for  such  a  purpose,  and  that  it 
would  be  of  doubtful  propriety  to  use  it  on  such  an 
occasion  if  it  could  be  obtained,  the  answer  was  given 

103 


&tor^  oC  9$v  ^ite 


that  the  church  in  question,  though  occupied  by  the 
Methodists,  was  built  by  the  community  with  the  ex- 
press understanding  that  it  should  be  open  to  all  de- 
nominations, and  that  they  would  claim  it  as  a  right 
that  I  should  be  permitted  to  preach  there.  I  con- 
sented to  leave  the  whole  matter  to  them,  and  an 
appointment  was  made  for  me  in  the  church.  I 
promptly  appeared  at  the  appointed  time  and  preached 
my  sermon  to  an  audience  which  crowded  the  house. 
Of  course  my  purpose  was  to  answer  the  charges  made 
against  the  Lutheran  Church  and  against  me,  as  the 
pastor  at  Delaware.  In  the  days  of  my  youth  I  was 
perhaps  more  enthusiastic  than  was  meet,  but  as  1  re- 
member the  circumstances  I  confined  myself  to  the  sub- 
ject without  any  personal  incriminations,  except  so  far 
as  persons  were  identified  with  the  charges  which  I 
endeavored  to  refute.  At  the  close  of  my  sermon  the 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  congregation  at  Stratford,  who 
made  the  attack  which  I  came  to  repulse,  arose  and 
politely  asked  me  if  I  would  grant  him  the  privilege 
of  saying  a  few  words.  In  a  kindly  tone  I  replied  that 
the  discourse  just  delivered  was  my  third  for  that  day, 
and  that  my  strength  was  so  far  exhausted  that  I 
could  not  undertake  to  speak  much  more,  but  that  if 

what  he  desired  to  say  would  not  compel  me  to  answer, 

104 


S)t0r^  ot  9$v  ^itt 


I  had  no  objection.  He  then  said  that  he  only  wished 
to  make  the  statement  that  he  had  not  made  the  charges 
which  I  refuted,  but  that  he  would  reply  to  my  sermon 
at  a  time  which  he  would  announce  later.  I  said  noth- 
ing more,  but  proceeded  to  dismiss  the  congregation 
when  an  excited  gentleman,  who,  as  I  afterwards 
learned  was  a  member  of  no  church,  rushed  forward 
and  begged  me  to  hold  the  audience,  as  he  and  a  num- 
ber of  others  present  had  heard  the  charges  made  and 
wished  immediately  to  convict  him  of  making  them. 
I  saw  no  propriety  in  turning  the  congregation  into  a 
court,  and  thinking  his  denial  equal  to  a  renunciation 
I  believed  my  object  to  have  been  accomplished.  The 
preacher  never  delivered  his  reply,  but  soon  after  left 
the  place,  and  the  Lutheran  Church  gained  some  pres- 
tige by  the  assault  and  its  outcome. 

On  another  occasion  a  man  who  was  not  connected 
with  any  church  came  to  me  inquiring  if  I  could  furn- 
ish him  with  a  Lutheran  Catechism.  Entering  into 
conversation  with  him  I  found  that  a  Methodist 
preacher,  whose  services  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
attending,  had  ridiculed  our  Catechism,  and  had  espe- 
cially referred  to  some  doctrines  alleged  to  be  con- 
tained in  it  which  he  thought  it  improbable  that  an 
intelHgent  people  would  maintain.     He  wanted  to  be 


105 


fetot^  of  9^v  ^itt 


satisfied  about  it,  and  hence  desired  to  possess  the  Cat- 
echism. I  gave  him  the  precious  httle  book,  explain- 
ing the  points  to  which  reference  had  been  made, 
urged  him  to  study  the  Catechism,  and  when  conven- 
ient to  call  again.  In  a  week  or  two  he  returned  and 
stated  some  difficulties  that  he  had  found,  but  showed 
himself  an  honest  seeker  for  the  truth.  He  found  it, 
and  became  a  consistent  member  of  our  congregation. 
Numerous  incidents  occurred  which  rendered 
other  ministers  besides  the  pastor  of  the  German  Re- 
formed congregation  unfriendly  towards  me.  The  at- 
tacks made  upon  us  by  others  had  the  effect  of  calling 
attention  to  our  work,  and  at  our  public  services  there 
was  usually  a  goodly  number  who  were  members  of 
other  denominations.  Proselyting  was  no  part  of  my 
purpose.  It  is  a  sin  of  which  I  was  never  guilty.  I 
wish  others  had  respected  the  rights  of  other  congre- 
gations and  their  pastors  as  I  endeavored  to  do.  Some- 
times strenuous  efforts  were  made,  especially  during 
so-called  revival  seasons,  to  entice  weaker  members 
of  my  congregation  into  other  churches.  They  were 
visited  for  this  purpose,  and  the  means  employed  to 
turn  their  hearts  away  from  us  were  not  always  hon- 
orable. As  I  was  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
pastoral  visits,  I  usually  appeared  in  the  families  in 

106 


&tot^  Dt  ^P  %iU 


time  to  counteract  the  insidious  schemes  of  sectarian 
prowlers.  The  answer  which  I  generally  received, 
when  I  endeavored  by  appealing  to  the  Scriptures  to 
reach  the  consciences  of  these  so-called  "good  men" 
engaged  in  bad  work,  was  that  their  "field  is  the 
world."  I  was  given  to  understand  that  my  little 
parish  was  included  in  their  big  field,  and  that  there- 
fore my  remonstrance  was  groundless.  I  do  not  won- 
der that  some  of  my  brethren  advocated  the  making 
of  reprisals.  Feeling  is  often  stronger  than  faith,  and 
I  had  about  as  much  difficulty  with  my  people  in  this 
respect  as  I  had  with  our  adversaries.  The  tide  was 
in  our  favor,  and  I  would  no  doubt  have  temporarily 
gained  by  pursuing  the  policy  of  our  opponents.  But 
I  was  intent  upon  building  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
whose  adequate  representation  in  the  world  I  believed 
the  Lutheran  Church  to  be,  and  had  faith  enough  to 
be  assured  that  no  wrong-doing  could  further  that 
kingdom.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability,  to  do  the  work  assigned  me  and  not  to  m.eddle 
with  other  people's  business.  In  consequence,  the  plea 
that  in  self-defence  I  must  go  on  proselyting  expedi- 
tions was  always  resisted.  But  when  people  came  to 
me  seeking  light,  it  was  a  different  matter.  I  had  no 
right  to  refuse  the  labor  of  love  which  I  was  requested 


107 


^tot^  of  9^^  %itt 


to  render,  and  my  study  was  open  to  all,  as  well  as  the 
church  in  which  I  preached.  In  this  way  there  was 
in  the  course  of  several  years  a  goodly  number  of  ac- 
cessions from  other  denominations  to  our  congregation, 
mostly  from  the  Reformed,  the  Methodist,  and  the 
Presbyterian  churches,  though  here  and  there  one  even 
from  the  Romish  church  came  to  us.  How  the  work 
was  done  a  few  examples  may  illustrate.  I,  of  course, 
take  such  as  are  best  impressed  upon  my  memory,  with- 
out regard  to  the  order  of  time : 

A  man  of  the  Baptistic  persuasion  came  frequently 
to  hear  me  preach,  but  when  the  announcement  was 
made  that  a  catechetical  class  would  be  formed  and 
that  all  who  desired  instruction  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion were  requested  to  attend,  he  shook  his  head,  and 
subsequently  expressed  his  aversion  to  what  he  called 
''head  religion."  The  class  was  formed  and  a  respect- 
able number  assembled  for  instruction.  He  shook  his 
head  again,  and  doubted  whereunto  this  would  grow. 
He  was  a  man  of  middle  age,  and  when  it  was  sug- 
gested that  he  should  once  attend  the  catechization,  he 
declared  that  he  was  not  a  boy  wdio  could  be  expected 
to  go  to  school.  Well,  he  might  go  once,  and  see  how 
the  school  was  conducted,  and  might  then  judge  for 
himself.     He  came  one  day  as  a  mere  spectator,  and 

108 


fe)totg  ot  ^^  %iU 


heard  the  instruction,  and  learned  something.  His 
raiUng  against  the  Lutheran  system  became  more  mod- 
erate. He  came  again  and  listened  attentively,  and 
concluded  that  he  had  misjudged  us.  Then  he  had 
himself  enrolled  among  the  catechumens,  rejoiced  in 
the  great  salvation  which  the  gospel  teaches,  was  con- 
firmed, and  remained  a  faithful  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church  until  his  death  many  years  after. 

An  intelligent  lady  of  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion having  heard  me  preach  on  the  gospel  for  the 
Sunday  after  Easter,  John  20,  19-31,  called  upon  me 
next  day  and  expressed  a  desire  to  learn  something 
more  on  the  topic  of  my  sermon.  She  said  that  the 
doctrine  of  absolution  which  I  had  set  forth  was  new 
to  her,  but  that  it  was  full  of  consolation,  and  that  if 
it  were  true  she  desired  to  be  sure  of  it,  and  wanted 
more  light.  Of  course,  I  could  not  refuse  to  help  her. 
What  I  had  preached  was  simply  the  doctrine  taught 
in  our  Catechism  of  the  redemption  effected  by  our 
Saviour  of  all  men,  of  the  provision  made  for  distrib- 
uting the  great  salvation  in  Christ  through  the  word 
of  the  gospel  to  all  who  are  willing  to  hear  it,  and  by 
hearing  it  receive  power  from  on  high  to  believe  it, 
and  thus  to  have  it,  without  the  deeds  of  the  law,  by 
grace  alone.    She  thought  it  was  too  good  to  be  true, 

100 


fetai'^  of  9!^v  ^itt 


but,  notwithstanding'  the  doubt  suggested  by  the  self- 
righteousness  of  reason,  confessed  that  it  is  what  the 
Bible  distinctly  teaches.  Asking  me  to  lend  her  some 
books  for  further  study  she  went  her  way  rejoicing. 
One  of  these  was  Luther  on  the  Sacraments,  which  I 
feared  was  meat  too  strong  for  her  condition,  but  it 
was  the  best  I  had  to  help  her  in  the  line  of  her  in- 
quiries. When  she  came  again  she  assured  me  that 
that  was  the  very  book  she  needed  to  remove  any 
lingering  doubts.  Every  visit  to  me  appeared  to  in- 
crease her  interest  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and  its 
history  and  doctrines  and  work,  until  one  day  she  told 
me  that  she  was  no  longer  a  Presbyterian  in  her  faith, 
but  in  every  respect,  so^  far  as  she  knew,  a  Lutheran, 
and  that  she  felt  it  to  be  a  duty  to  her  Saviour  to  make 
this  known,  and  to  join  us  in  the  work  of  our  congre- 
gation, asking  me  what  she  should  now  do  to  attain 
this  end.  As  cases  of  a  similar  kind  had  occurred  be- 
fore, I  was  required  to  reflect  upon  the  proper  course 
to  pursue  when  members  of  other  churches  applied  for 
m.embership  in  ours.  In  the  little  library  which  was 
in  my  possession  there  was  not  much  to  guide  me. 
But  the  Bible  and  the  knowledge  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness which  I  had  attained,  and  the  earnest  purpose 
to  do  right  and  have  a  conscience  void  of  offence  to- 


110 


fetors  of  fit?^  %iU 


ward  God  and  man,  were  sufficient  guide.  If  the 
hedge-priests  who  desired  to  steal  sheep  from  my 
flock  had  pursued  an  honest  Christian  course,  my  in- 
dignation would  not  have  been  aroused  against  them, 
as  it  sometimes  was  when  I  caught  them  in  their  un- 
godly tricks.  It  was  an  easy  lesson  to  learn,  if  it  was 
not  so  easy  to  practice,  that  what  I  wished  others 
would  do  to  me  I  ought  to  do  to  them.  My  decision 
was  that  our  public  services  must  be  open  to  all, 
whether  they  were  of  our  faith  or  another  faith  or  no 
faith  at  all;  that  the  pastor's  personal  application  of 
the  Word  in  absolution  and  ministration  of  grace  in 
the  sacraments  must  be  limited  to  those  who  fulfill  the 
conditions  of  membership  in  his  congregation;  and 
that  the  pastor  has  all  the  rights  and  duties  of  the 
Christian  priesthood  in  his  private  intercourse  with 
people,  his  public  office  in  no  way  interfering  with 
private  obligations.  Accordingly  I  uniformly  avoided 
visiting  for  religious  purposes  any  families  belonging 
to  other  churches,  and  persistently  refused  to  do  this 
even  when  invited,  unless  it  was  clear  that  their  pastor 
desired  it,  or  at  least  made  no  objection  when  they  de- 
sired it.  Meantime  my  house  was  always  open  when 
any  person  visited  to  consult  me,  whatever  might  be 
the  nature  of  the  subject.     The  lady  in  question  had 

Ul 


fetors  oe  9^v  ^itt 


come  often  and  I  had  no  reason  to  send  her  away.  But 
now,  when  she  desired  to  become  a  member  of  our 
congregation,  I  thought  it  right  that  she  should  go  to 
her  pastor  and  tell  him  what  she  had  done  and  what 
she  proposed  to  do.  Her  pastor  did  not  like  me,  and 
I  knew  that  he  would  not  speak  kindly  of  me  and  of 
my  labor  on  her  behalf.  I  had  before  had  a  case  of 
the  same  kind  in  which  he  was  concerned.  A  young 
man  of  his  congregation  applied  for  membership  in 
ours,  and  I  sent  him  to  his  pastor  with  the  remark  that 
he  must  not  sneak  away  from  him  like  an  evil  doer 
with  a  bad  conscience,  but  that  he  should  deal  frankly 
with  him  and  give  him  all  desired  opportunity  to  exer- 
cise his  office.  This  man  afterwards  reported  to  me 
that  his  pastor  rebuked  him  for  having  dealings  with 
such  a  bigot  as  he  declared  me  to  be,  and  then  tried 
to  convince  him  that  we  Lutherans  teach  false  doc- 
trines, making  a  savage  attack  especially  upon  our  doc- 
trine of  the  Lord's  Supper.  He  had  gone  to  him  three 
times,  and  each  time  he  had  become  more  firm  in  his 
convictions  that  between  his  pastor  and  us  it  was  a 
controversy  of  human  reason  and  feeling  against  the 
Bible,  so  that  he  finally  left  with  the  declaration  that 
he  would  not  return  for  any  further  useless  disputa- 
tions, but  that  he  was  now  fully  resolved  to  unite  with 

112 


fetorg  oe  a??  %itt 


the  Lutheran  Church,  of  which  in  due  time  he  became 
an  active  and  valued  member.  Remembering  this,  I 
was  putting  the  lady  to  a  severe  test  when  I  sent  her 
to  this  pastor;  but  I  had  no  doubt  that  she  was  well 
qualified  to  bear  it  and  had  no  fear  of  the  result. 

I  think  that  in  a  clear  conception  of  the  plan  of 
salvation  she  was  his  superior,  and  when  she  came  to 
tell  me  the  result  of  the  interview  with  him  I  was  not 
surprised  that  she  was  unshaken  in  her  faith,  had 
cheerfully  renounced  her  connection  with  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  was  ready  for  all  that  should  yet 
be  required  for  communion  in  our  Lutheran  congre- 
gation, of  which  she  remained  a  steadfast  member 
whose  faith  and  love  won  the  esteem  of  all. 

Our  procedure  was  not  the  same  in  all  the  cases 
of  applicants  for  membership  who  were  in  connection 
with  other  denominations.  Of  course,  we  could  not 
receive  them  merely  on  their  presentation  of  dismis- 
sals or  certificates  of  membership.  Such  papers  were 
valued  only  as  assurances  that  the  persons  concerned 
were  of  good  moral  character  and  that  their  reception 
would  not  interfere  with  the  laudable  efforts  of  others 
to  exercise  scriptural  Church  discipline.  An  interview 
with  such  persons  usually  indicated  what  course  should 
be  pursued.    Sometimes  it  was  plain  that  the  best  way 


113 


fetat^  ot  9$v  Hiit 


was  to  induce  them  to  join  the  regular  catechetical 
class ;  sometimes  they  were  instructed  in  private  and 
publicly  confirmed  when  sufficiently  advanced  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  revealed  truth;  sometimes,  when 
they  already  had  such  knowledge  in  a  general  way  and 
needed  only  instruction  in  the  points  of  difference  be- 
tween their  church  and  the  Lutheran,  they  were  re- 
ceived upon  their  public  declaration  that  they  believed 
the  doctrines  of  Holy  Scripture  as  set  forth  in  our 
Catechism  and  the  Augsburg  Confession,  renounced 
all  errors  of  churches  teaching  otherwise,  and  desired 
henceforth  to  be  known  as  Lutherans.  In  some  in- 
stances applicants  at  first  thought  the  terms  were  hard ; 
but  as  I  desired  to  build  up  a  Christian  congregation 
of  the  Lutheran  faith,  believing  this  to  be  the  pure 
faith  of  the  Bible,  not  a  society  of  nominal  Christians 
without  Christian  unity,  I  insisted  on  the  conditions, 
and  usually  with  such  success  that  they  were  recog- 
nized as  indispensable  under  existing  circumstances 
even  by  those  who  for  a  while  hesitated. 

It  was  a  trying  position  into  which  the  Master 
placed  me  as  His  minister.  The  location  of  the  Meth- 
odist university  at  Delaware  made  it  a  center  of  Meth- 
odist influence.     I  was  but  a  stripling  of  21  years  of 

age  when  I  came  there  in  1849,  ^"^  was,  as  my  nar- 

114 


fetot?  0t  9?^  %itt 


rative  has  shown,  by  no  means  a  scholar  capable  of 
coping  with  learned  professors.     But  for  some  reason 
I  became  a  man  of  mark  who  was  shot  at  from  various 
quarters.    I  suppose  that  this  was  because  I  had  a  set- 
tled faith  and  meant  to  maintain  it  as  pastor  of  the 
Lutheran  congregation.    Probably  this  was  something 
unusual  among  Protestants  in  that  community,  as  I 
am  sure  that  it  is  something  unusual  in  many  a  com- 
munity now.    But  whatever  may  have  been  the  reason, 
I  was  on  the  way  of  becoming  the  leader  of  a  "sect 
everywhere  spoken  against."    In  public  and  in  private 
I  was  assailed.    This  was  always  on  religious  or  eccle- 
siastical grounds,  never,  so  far  as  I  learned,  with  at- 
tacks on  my  moral  character.     The  professors  always, 
so  far  as  I  had  intercourse  with  them,  treated  me  cour- 
teously and   even  cordially;   the  pastors   were  never 
rude  in  my  presence ;  but  I  rarely  met  them  except  in 
the  line  of  duty,  and  then  it  sometimes  seemed  that 
they  were  at  least  not  generous  in  dealing  with  me. 
Lay  members  of  other  churches  were  at  times  not  as 
polite  as  courtesy  required,  but  in  such  cases  the  reason 
ordinarily  was  that  they  became  unduly  excited  at  my 
bold  utterances  in  defense  of  the  faith  that  was  in  me, 
for  which,  if  I  rightly  remember  my  spiritual  condi- 
tion, I  was  then  ready  to  die  at  any  moment.     The 


115 


&tot?  ot  aps  %iu 


controversies  which  I  had  with  individuals  served  to 
strengthen  my  convictions.  I  became  more  and  more 
impressed  with  the  necessity  of  preaching  the  Word, 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  that  the  truth  in  Jesus 
might  prevail  and  souls  that  were  dying  might  be 
saved.  The  prevalent  ignorance  and  irreverence  with 
regard  to  the  Bible  horrified  me.  For  instance,  on  one 
occasion  I  quoted  a  passage  of  Scripture  to  prove  our 
doctrine  in  regard  to  Baptism,  and  received  the  re- 
sponse that  that  is  a  Lutheran  lie,  which  the  spirit  in 
the  hearts  of  truly  converted  Christians  rejects ;  on 
another,  speaking  of  the  Lord's  Supper  and  referring 
to  an  annotated  Bible  lying  on  the  table,  I  was  met 
with  the  remark  that  the  text  teaches  the  doctrine 
which  I  preach  and  confess,  but  the  notes  teach  the 
contrary,  which  must  be  right ;  on  another,  in  which 
case  it  was  a  Methodist  professor  with  whom  I  was 
conversing,  I  received  as  a  reply  to  the  words  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  I  quoted  word  for  word  with  the 
appended  question,  "why  do  you  not  accept  the  Word 
of  God  as  it  stands,"  the  cold  blooded  answer,  ''because 
it  does  not  accord  with  my  experience."  Such  things 
startled  me,  but  they  could  not  otherwise  than 
strengthen  me  in  my  purpose  to  stand  by  the  Bible. 
These  constant  conflicts  with  people  of  other  confes- 

116 


&tor^  of  m  ^itt 


sions  drove  me  to  continuous  study  and  made  of  me 
a  more  devoted  student  than  ever,  much  as  I  had  been 
devoted  to  study  years  before.  The  situation  in  which 
I  was  placed  would  have  driven  even  a  less  enthusiastic 
inquirer  to  his  books,  and  this  not  at  all  with  the  pur- 
pose of  finding  how  reason  answers  reason  in  questions 
of  religion,  but  how  God's  revelation  recorded  in  the 
Bible  answers  reason  darkened  by  sin.  The  hardness 
to  which  I  was  subjected  was  under  God's  merciful 
providence  a  blessing  to  me,  and  what  was  designed 
as  a  punishment  proved  a  benefit  to  me  and  my  con- 
gregation, which  was  struggling  for  existence  under 
inauspicious  circumstances.  The  opposition  aroused 
against  us  helped  both  me  and  my  people. 

It  would  be  understood  without  mentioning  it  that 
my  chief  concern  was  about  my  own  congregation. 
The  troubles  that  others  gave  me  were  of  material 
importance  only  so  far  as  they  affected  my  work  as  its 
pastor.  The  conditions  were  such  as  to  encourage 
opponents  in  the  expectation  of  creating  disaffection 
and  dissension  among  us,  but  on  the  whole  my  people 
stood  by  me  with  all  the  firmness  that  I  could  hope. 

The  congregation,  then  numbering  about  80  com- 
municant members,  vv^as  composed  mostly  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Germans,  the  foreign  German  element    being 

J17 


fbtotv  ot  9^j^  mte 


comparatively  small.  The  older  members  had  pre- 
served the  traditions  and  sentiments  of  their  former 
home,  where  the  Lutherans  and  German  Reformed 
usually  built  their  churches  jointly,  worshiped  together, 
frequently  intermarried,  and  made  so  little  distinction 
between  them  that  they  generally  spoke  of  them  as  the 
"Lutheran  side"  and  the  ''Reformed  side"  of  the  same 
church.  That  was  the  situation  at  Delaware.  The 
two  sides  had  chosen  what  seemed  to  me  a  very  in- 
appropriate site  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town  near  the 
Olentangy  River,  and  had  built  a  house  of  worship 
which  was  a  reproduction,  on  a  small  scale,  of  the  barn- 
like structures  called  churches  in  Pennsylvania.  It 
had  no  gallery ;  it  was  probably  thought  sufficiently 
capacious  for  the  congregation  without  that.  But  its 
pulpit  was  just  as  lofty  as  if  the  gallery  had  been 
there,  so  that  when,  in  the  winter  preceding  my  call, 
I  ascended  the  pulpit  for  the  first  time  I  became  dizzy 
and  my  nose  bled,  which  was  perhaps  not  astonishing 
in  view  of  my  enfeebled  condition  as  a  "pale  faced 
boy."  In  this  building  I  preached  every  two  weeks, 
the  alternate  Sunday  being  used  by  the  "Reformed 
side."  The  regular  services  were  German,  but  even 
before  I  came  there  the  need  of  English  teaching  and 
preaching  had  been  recognized,  and  my  predecessor 


118 


&torp  ot  9pp  JLitt 


had  occasionally  preached  in  English.  When  I  came 
it  was  stipulated  that  there  should  be  regular  English 
preaching,  and  the  arrangement  was  made  that  this 
should  take  place  every  Sunday  when  the  church  be- 
longed to  our  side,  though  the  German  should  always 
have  precedence.  Accordingly  on  alternate  Sundays, 
I  preached  twice^  once  in  each  language,  the  German 
always  having  the  place  of  honor.  On  the  alternate 
Sundays  we  had  no  rights  and  I  had  no  duties  in  the 
church.  It  was  agreed  that  every  alternate  Lord's 
Day  I  should  preach  at  Prospect  or,  as  it  was  then 
called,  at  Middletown. 

All  these  matters  having  been  satisfactorily 
settled,  I  went  to  work.  To  the  best  of  my  ability 
Sunday  after  Sunday  I  preached  the  Gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  Christ.  As  my  faith  was  that  which 
is  confessed  by  the  Lutheran  Church,  I  preached  the 
way  of  salvation  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and  I 
think  now  that  I  did  it  without  much  fear  of  enemies 
or  endeavor  to  win  friends,  but  with  the  purpose  of 
making  known  the  counsel  of  God  to  our  salvation. 
This  made  it  necessary  that  I  should  not  ignore,  but 
distinctly  preach,  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  How  could  I,  being  a  believer  myself 
and  thinking  daily  of  the  account  which  I  must  soon 

11? 


fetorp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


render  to  the  Master,  do  otherwise  ?  As  I  write  now, 
more  than  fifty  years  after,  when  I  have  learned  more 
and  experienced  more,  I  wonder  how  any  Lutheran 
minister  can  do  otherwise,  as  these  distinctive  doc- 
trines are  vital  in  the  plan  of  salvation  which  God  in 
His  infinite  mercy  has  revealed  in  the  Scriptures. 
But  some  doubted,  and  some  even  took  offense.  The 
consequent  condition  seems  now  like  a  dream  to  me. 
When  it  was  shown  what  difference  there  is  between 
us  and  the  Reformed  parties,  whether  Zwinglian  or 
Calvinistic,  and  what  our  practice  must  be  in  regard 
to  these  parties,  in  regard  to  which  the  German  Re- 
formed would  make  no  exception,  there  were  whis- 
perings around,  there  was  outspoqken  denunciation, 
there  was  a  storm.  My  poor  person  became  the  object 
of  many  a  caustic  criticism.  But  these  were  mostly 
on  the  ''Reformed  side."  The  Lutherans  rather  liked 
my  zeal,  and  in  most  cases,  I  succeeded  in  quieting 
them.  But  the  Reformed  did  not  belong  to  my  charge, 
and  only  when  one  part  of  the  family  belonged  to  my 
congregation  could  I  embrace  the  opportunity  to  in- 
terview them  in  private,  and  then  my  efforts  to  pla- 
cate them  were  not  always  successful.  Their  pastor 
was  not  at  all  in  harmony  with  my  work.     He  was 

zealous  rather  in  the  direction  of  revivalism  after  the 

120 


fetors  Pt  W^  %iU 


Methodist  fashion.  His  people  were  not  generally  in 
sympathy  with  him  in  that  respect,  and  though  he 
railed  against  us  and  especially  against  me,  whom  he 
designated,  on  account  of  my  youth,  by  an  uncompli- 
mentary name,  he  had  little  success  in  the  war  which 
he  waged  against  me.  He  was  soon  compelled  to 
leave.  His  successor  was  a  man  who  minded  his  own 
business,  in  his  own  easy-going  way,  and  made  us  no 
trouble.  The  ugly  epithets  which  were  flung  at  me 
never  even  ruffled  me  to  any  crippling  extent,  much 
less  could  they  induce  me  to  violate  my  conscience  by 
changing  my  course.  A  remark  made  by  a  friend  in 
Cleveland;  who  had  gone  through  a  similar  experience 
as  pastor  there,  who  was  always  cheerful,  and  whom 
I  asked  hov/  he  maintained  his  cheerfulness  under  the 
persecutions  he  was  enduring,  said  that  every  time  a 
handful  of  mud  was  flung  at  him,  he  ran  to  the  Lord 
and  received  new  grace,  and  prayed  for  his  enemies 
who  knew  not  what  they  did,  and  went  on  with  his 
work  smiling.  This  man  of  God  belonged  to  the  Mis- 
souri Synod,  v/ith  which  ours  was  not  on  good  terms ; 
but  I  had  not  imbibed  any  prejudice  against  the  body 
to  v/hich  he  belonged,  and  our  similar  conflicts  ren- 
dered us  sympathetic,  while  his  superior  theological 
equipment  and  larger  experience  made  him  a  most 

J21 


fetors  of  9?^  JLitt 


valued  friend.  Dear  Dr.  Schwan,  even  the  fierce  pre- 
destinarian  controversy  which  came  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later,  could  not  sever  the  ties  of  friendship, 
based  on  a  common  faith  and  mutual  sympathy  in  the 
suffering  entailed  by  its  confession.  Even  in  my 
latest  affliction,  which  seems  to  have  ended  the  direct 
work  of  my  calling  in  any  official  capacity,  he  did  not 
forget  me,  though  he,  the  older  man  by  a  good  many 
years,  had  for  some  years  before  retired  and  been 
honored  by  the  well-deserved  continuance  of  his  salary 
by  the  Synod  which  he  served  so  long  and  so  well. 
But  this  is  simply  by  the  way.  God  gave  me  the  grace 
of  a  quiet  conscience,  and  I  was  not  discouraged  even 
when  unkindly  disposed  persons  did  their  worst.  En- 
couragement came  too  from  unexpected  sources.  As 
an  instance,  I  may  mention  the  circumstance  that  one 
day,  when  the  Reformed  party  was  wildest  in  its  op- 
position to  me  and  my  work,  a  farmer,  who  was  a 
prominent  member  in  my  congregation,  stopped  me 
as  I  was  riding  by  on  my  pastoral  visits,  and  asked 
me  if  I  knew  that  my  opponents  had  resolved  to  starve 
me  out  and  thus  get  rid  of  me  by  compulsory  measures. 
I  had  not  heard  of  the  scheme,  but  told  him  that,  as  I 
was  an  unmarried  man  and  did  not  need  much  to  keep 
me  alive,  the  scheme  did  not  seem  to  me  dangerous. 


122 


&t0t^  Of  9?»  JLift 


He  then  said,  in  a  serious  tone,  that  he  had  a  good 
farm  and  a  well-suppHed  table,  and  that  if  the  time 
ever  came  when  I  should  be  in  want  of  bread,  his 
home  would  always  be  open  to  me,  and  I  should  come 
and  live  with  him  without  the  least  fear  that  the  addi- 
tion of  one  more  to  his  family  would  at  all  embarrass 
him.  As  the  wife  of  this  man  belonged  to  the  "Re- 
formed side,"  who  soon  moved  over  to  the  ''Lutheran 
side,"  I  saw  how  little  ground  there  was  of  harboring 
any  littleness  of  faith  in  regard  to  my  subsistence.  I 
was  not  starved  out,  and  God  gave  me  grace  to  fear 
nothing  of  the  kind.  In  the  contest  the  Reformed 
party  kept  constantly  losing  and  the  Lutheran  gaining 
ground. 

At  a  business  meeting  of  my  congregation  in  this 
time  of  unpleasant  relations,  I  called  attention  to  the 
dilapidated  condition  of  the  fence  around  our  church 
lot,  which  was  on  the  corner  of  the  street,  and  sug- 
gested the  need  of  repairing  it.  The  proposition  was 
opposed  from  an  unexpected  quarter,  as  well  as  from 
a  source  whence  I  had  counted  on  opposition.  One 
of  the  richest  men  in  the  congregation,  who  usually 
took  a  prominent  part  in  all  its  meetings,  but  who  had 
the  reputation  of  being  also  one  of  the  stingiest,  made 
a  speech  against  it.     He  argued  that  the  improvement 


123 


&t0r^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


would  cost  a  sum  beyond  our  ability,  possibly  as  much 
as  seventy-five  dollars;  that  the  ''Reformed  side"  had 
taken  no  action  in  the  matter  and  probably  in  its  pres- 
ent mood  would  do  nothing;  and  that  if  we  undertook 
such  a  weighty  enterprise  we  were  in  danger  of  de- 
stroying our  work  in  Delaware.  He  was  known  to  be 
in  sympathy  with  our  opponents  without  being  in  open 
hostility  to  me  and  my  preaching  and  practice.  Some 
of  the  Lutheran  members  became  impatient  and  de- 
clared that  they  were  ashamed  of  the  tumble-down 
condition  of  our  property;  that  they  were  abundantly 
able  to  keep  it  looking  decent,  even  if  the  Reformed 
were  unwilling  to  pay  their  share ;  and  that  they  were 
tired  of  being  hammered  by  the  Reformed  party  and 
of  carrying  the  burden  of  two  congregations  when 
their  duty  and  interests  were  only  in  one.  Then  my 
time  had  com.e.  I  showed  why  it  would  be  difficult 
under  existing  conditions  to  raise  seventy-five  dollars 
for  the  proposed  improvement,  when  the  other  party 
would  invest  nothing,  but  claim  half  the  property; 
and  if  we  could  not,  hampered  and  hindered  as  we 
were,  collect  the  small  sum  mentioned,  we  cer- 
tainly could  raise  several  thousand  to  secure  a  church 
for  ourselves  and  be  free  from  the  dictation  and  an- 
noyance and  injustice  of  others. 

124 


St.  Mark's  Ev.  Luth.  Church,  Delaware,  Ohio. 


fetori?  Pt  ^v  ^itt 


The  spark  kindled;  instead  of  agreeing  to  build 
the  fence,  it  was  resolved  to  separate  and  secure  a 
property  of  our  own.  Negotiations  began  by  offering 
to  buy  the  Reformed  share  in  the  church  which  we 
occupied  or  to  sell  ours.  The  oft'er  was  rejected.  We 
next  proposed  to  accept  a  specified  sum  for  our  share 
in  the  property  or  to  pay  the  same  sum  for  the  Re- 
formed share.  This  offer  too  was  rejected.  We 
proposed  to  have  the  matter  arbitrated,  and  agreed  to 
abide  by  any  reasonable  decision.  Again  the  offer 
was  rejected.  We  were  nonplussed.  We  saw  no 
remedy  but  an  appeal  to  the  courts.  The  process  there 
is  slow,  and  one  of  our  members  concluded  to  hasten 
matters  by  purchasing  a  lot  which  was  thought  well 
located  for  a  new  church.  Our  people  could  not  await 
the  dilatory  decision  of  the  courts,  but  determined  to 
accept  the  lot  which  had  been  bought  and  proceed  to 
build,  determining  rather  to  leave  all  that  had  been 
invested  in  the  old  building  than  continue  in  a  part- 
nership that  had  become  so  painful.  When  our  plans 
were  prepared,  our  contracts  were  let,  and  our  church 
was  under  construction.  The  Reformed,  seeing  that 
we  meant  business,  made  us  an  offer  that  was  easily 
accepted.  The  suit  at  law  was  withdrawn  and  we 
could  breathe  more  freely.     Our  church,  built  of  lime- 

125 


&totv  of  Q^v  ^itt 


stone,  was  in  those  days  thought  a  beautiful  structure, 
and  our  joy  was  according  to  the  joy  of  harvest,  when 
on  Christmas  Day  1853,  we  could  dedicate  it  to  the 
service  of  the  Triune  God.  It  is  the  same  church  in 
which  the  congregation  still  worships,  though  some 
material  improvements  have  been  made  since  then.  I 
now  had  better  facilities  to  do  my  work  and  the  con- 
gregation prospered. 

The  difficulties  which  I  encountered  at  the  start 
v^ere  gradually  overcome,  and  there  were  few  in  the 
congregation,  when  we  entered  the  new  church,  who 
expressed  dissatisfaction  with  our  strict  Lutheran 
practice.  Perhaps  that  was  the  severest  trial  of  our 
faith  which  came  when  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
most  generally  esteemed  members  of  the  faculty  of 
Wesleyan  University  presented  himself  for  communion 
at  our  altar^  and  I  declined  to  administer  it  to  him. 
The  matter  is  sometimes  talked  about  even  to  this  day, 
when  Lutheranism  is  put  on  trial  in  Delaware;  but 
now,  after  fifty  years  of  study  and  prayer  and  exper- 
ience, I  have  no  word  of  repentance  to  express.  To 
all  whom  it  may  concern,  I  have  only  the  assurance 
to  give  that,  under  the  same  circumstances,  I  would 
now  do  the  same  thing,  as  I  now  think  my  action  the 
extreme  of  charity  in  a  case  of  trial.     I  never  for  a 


126 


fetot?  oe  9dV  fLitt 


moment  supposed,  as  some  of  our  people  were  inclined 
to  think,  that  the  occurrence  originated  in  a  scheme  to 
try  my  mettle  with  a  view  of  breaking  down  my  in- 
fluence, either  by  raising  hostility  against  me  if  I  proved 
consistent,  or  by  showing  my  faith  to  be  an  unloving 
and  illiberal  sham,  if  a  severe  test  should  drive  me 
into  an  act  which  would  be  inconsistent  with  my  per- 
sonal profession  and  my  ministerial  teaching.  He  was 
too  good  a  man  to  engage  in  any  such  unworthy  trick- 
ery, and  I  still  think  that  any  such  opinions  of  the  man 
do  him  a  great  wrong.  His  error  was  that  into  which 
any  unionist  may  fall  without  the  least  impeachment 
of  his  sincerity.  He  no  doubt  desired  simply  to  mani- 
fest his  sympathy  with  us  in  our  Christian  work,  and 
I  appreciated  that.  But  I  knew  him  to  be  a  Methodist 
by  profession,  and  had  no  reason  to  think  that  the 
sermon  which  he  had  heard  was  sufficient  to  convince 
him  of  his  Methodist  errors,  or  that  his  desire  to  com- 
mune with  us  was  sufficient  evidence  of  his  conversion. 
Looking  at  the  occurrence  now,  after  so  many  years,  I 
magnify  the  grace  of  God  which  led  me  to  so  charitable 
a  solution  of  the  problem  that  was  so  suddenly  sprung 
upon  me.  I  simply  asked  him  if  he  was  prepared  to 
accept  the  words  with  which  I  administered  the  body  of 
Christ  to  the  communicants  as  the  very  truth  of  God, 

127 


&tot^  of  9^p  %iU 


and  he  declared  that  he  was  not.  That  was  the  very 
least  that  I,  as  the  minister  of  the  Lord  could  ask,  and 
upon  his  refusal  to  accept  the  very  words  of  the  Master, 
there  was  nothing  left  for  me,  but  to  pass  him  by. 
Thanks  be  to  God  that  in  the  fiery  trial  He  gave  me 
grace  to  be  faithful.  On  the  following  day  I  wrote 
to  the  professor  explaining  the  matter  more  fully,  as 
I  could  not  when  the  event  occurred.  He  sent  me  a 
courteous  reply  in  which  he  expressed  his  dissent  from 
my  views,  but  complimented  me  upon  my  having  the 
courage  of  my  convictions.  Of  course  the  sad  affair 
was  much  talked  about  throughout  the  town  and 
vicinity.  Denunciations  of  my  course  were  abundant, 
occasional  defences  were  uttered,  and  a  great  deal 
of  free  advertising  was  given  me  and  my  congregation. 
I  felt  that  the  crisis  had  come,  and  that  if  my  con- 
gregation would  stand  by  me  now  the  victory  was  as- 
sured. No  disturbance  appeared  in  our  congregational 
life ;  all  went  on  as  usual,  and  God  made  all  things  work 
for  our  good. 

Not  long  after  this  trial  the  professor  in  question 
invited  me  to  his  house  to  meet  a  number  of  ministers 
for  a  social  gathering  on  a  certain  evening.  My 
thoughts  were,  of  course,  that  my  church  practice  in 
general  and  my  conduct  in  the  case  which  had  created 

128 


&t0t?  ot  a^8  JLitt 


the  town  talk  in  particular  would  be  the  subject  of  com- 
ment and  critcism;  but  as  my  invitation  to  the  meet- 
ing impressed  me  as  the  result  of  a  disposition  to  be 
fair  and  not  to  condemn  me  without  a  hearing,  I  went. 
All  the  clergy  of  the  town  were  present  except  the 
Romish  priest,  who  probably  was  not  invited.  We  had 
a  social  talk,  which  was  not  unpleasant;  we  had  tea 
and  cake,  which  was  pleasant;  and  as  it  was  growing 
late  I  felt  easier  and  concluded  that  my  suspicions  with 
reference  to  the  object  in  view  were  unfounded.  Prob- 
ably in  regard  to  my  person  they  were.  But  when  the 
time  for  adjournment  came  our  host  arose  and  stated 
that  he  had  a  special  object  in  view  when  he  invited 
us  to  his  house ;  that  he  had  noticed  a  lack  of  fraternal 
intercourse  among  the  pastors  and  people  of  the  differ- 
ent churches  in  Delaware ;  that  he  felt  the  want  of  such 
fellowship  among  Christians,  though  they  were  of 
different  denominations ;  and  that  he  hoped  some  way 
could  be  found  by  which  a  more  cordial  relation  could 
be  effected  among  us  through  Christian  association. 
The  sentiment  was  received  with  approbation,  and 
different  ways  were  suggested  by  which  the  object 
could  be  attained.  The  concurrent  opinion  seemed  to 
settle  upon  the  plan  of  having  union  meetings  in  turn, 
in  the  various  churches,  for  prayer  and  the  interchange 
9  129 


fetors  DC  9$v  ^itt 


of  thought  and  feeHng.  As  this  was  in  conflict  with 
my  convictions  of  right  and  duty,  I  modestly  made  a 
statement  to  this  effect  and  proposed  to  withdraw,  so 
as  not  to  disturb  tlic  harmony  which  prevailed  among 
them.  But  some  insisted  that  I  should  give  a  reason 
for  such  a  withdrawal.  Recognizing  the  propriety  of 
this,  I  frankly  stated  that  I,  as  a  Lutheran  pastor,  was 
not  in  harmony  with  the  sentiment  prevalent  among 
them  as  regards  the  relations  of  different  churches  to 
each  other,  that  I  was  called  to  a  work  for  the  right 
conduct  of  which  I  must  render  account,  and  that 
others  were  not  responsible  for  it  and  I  could  not  be 
faithful  if  I  permitted  others  to  interfere,  especially 
as  in  some  important  respects  they  held  different  be- 
liefs ;  and  that  I  had  in  my  own  charge  as  much  work 
and  responsibility  as  I  felt  able  to  carry,  and  could 
not  with  a  good  conscience  assume  any  of  theirs ;  that, 
in  short,  it  was  my  settled  conviction,  the  unhappy 
division  into  different  churches  being  upon  us  and  the 
remedy  for  the  evil  manifestly  not  lying  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  ignore  existing  conditions,  that  it  would  be 
best  for  all  of  us,  if  each  would  strive  to  fulfill  his 
calling  in  the  place  assigned  him,  without  meddling 
with  other  men's  matters.  My  confession  was  deliv- 
ered in  a  tone  of  kindness,  and  when  I  sat  down  I  felt 

130 


fetors  ot  aps  %itt 


that  I  had  discharged  a  duty,  whatever  the  conse- 
quences might  be.  There  was  silence  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, but  it  seemed  long  and  even  ominous.  This 
was  broken  by  Dr.  Thomson,  the  President  of  the  Uni- 
versity, who  rarely  had  much  to  say  unless  the  occa- 
sion demanded  it,  and  who  was  known  in  the  commu- 
nity as  a  man  who  was  bent  upon  minding  his  own 
business  and  urging  others  to  mind  theirs.  As  such  a 
man  I  had  learned  to  esteem  him.  But  the  remem- 
brance of  the  recent  event,  which  I  feared  was  the  ulti- 
mate ground  of  our  gathering,  caused  a  little  flutter  in 
my  soul.  Such  an  antagonist  it  would  have  been  an 
ordeal  to  meet,  although  now,  after  fifty  years  more  of 
experience  in  the  ways  of  God,  I  do  not  doubt  that 
grace  would  have  been  given  me  to  bear  it  without 
damage  to  the  cause  of  truth.  But  his  address  was  in 
substance  commendatory  of  my  position,  declaring  that 
in  principle  I  was  right,  and  that  all  sound  philosophy 
and  true  religion  were  on  my  side.  Of  course  this 
secured  me  against  any  assaults  which  might  have  been 
brooding  and  the  consultation  about  means  of  getting 
us  together  took  a  new  turn.  It  was  finally  resolved 
to  appoint  a  committee,  of  whom  I  should  be  one,  to 
consult  about  the  matter  and  report  at  another  meet- 
ing that  was  agreed  upon.     The  committee  met  and 

131 


fetotp  ot  app  mtt 


reported.  So  far  as  I  was  concerned,  that  was  the  end 
of  it.  But  there  was  another  meeting  after  that.  I 
think  our  report  was  virtually  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  matter,  and  I  would  so  have  considered  it,  had 
not  a  casual  occurrence  rendered  this  dubious.  One 
day  the  Methodist  presiding  elder  of  the  Delaware 
District  in  a  rather  jovial  mood  accosted  me  on  the 
street  with  the  remark,  "Well,  Brother  Loy,  you  were 
not  at  our  United  States  Prayer  Meeting  last  night?" 
Upon  my  professing  ignorance  of  such  a  meeting  and 
innocence  of  all  implications  with  it  and  its  kind,  he 
declared  that  I  was  right  and  that  the  very  devil  was 
behind  such  movements.  So  far  as  I  was  implicated 
in  the  matter  there  were  no  further  results. 

All  my  intercourse  with  people  with  other  churches 
only  tended  to  confirm  me  in  my  conviction,  that  the 
Lutheran  Church  is  right  in  its  confession  and  prac- 
tice, and  that  pastors  and  people  of  other  denomina- 
tions are  lacking  in  that  assurance  and  peace  which 
the  Lutheran  Church  proclaims  and  conveys,  and  gives 
to  them  that  believe. 

Every  second  Sunday,  when  the  Reformed  occu- 
pied our  church  at  Delaware,  my  call  required  me  to 
preach  at  what  was  then  called  Middletown,  thirteen 
rniles  distant.     The  conditions  there  were  similar  to 

132 


&totp  ot  99v  ^itt 


those  at  Delaware.  Some  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  had  come  there  from  Pennsylvania,  chief 
among  whom  was  the  family  of  Chr.  Cast,  who  laid 
out  the  village  of  Middletown,  and  one  of  whose  sons 
subsequently  became  an  efficient  minister  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church  and  died  as  pastor  of  the  Middletown 
charge.  Mr.  Cast  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
energy.  With  the  help  of  his  brother  and  a  few  other 
Lutherans  he  had  succeeded  in  having  regular  services 
conducted  by  the  pastor  at  Delaware.  In  laying  out 
the  town  he  had  also  reserved  one  of  the  best  lots  for 
a  church,  and  before  I  came  there  the  frame  of  a 
building  for  that  purpose  had  already  been  erected, 
although  for  some  reason,  probably  from  lack  of  funds, 
the  building  had  been  abandoned.  I  preached  in  a  lit- 
tle school  house,  and  my  first  effort  was  made  under 
difficulties.  The  service  was  German,  and  I  had  writ- 
ten out  my  sermon  with  the  intention  of  reading  it, 
which  I  unwisely  thought  would  be  tolerated  in  a  be- 
ginner. The  school  house  was  crowded  up  to  the  lit- 
tle table  where  I  scarcely  had  room  to  stand.  If  I  had 
laid  my  manuscript  on  the  table,  which  seemed  to  me 
unusually  low,  the  people  sitting  close  by  could  have 
read  it,  but  I  could  have  accomplished  the  feat  only  by 

bending  over  it  or  sitting  down.    Of  course  I  was  em- 

133 


&tot^  ot  9^v  JLite 


barrasscd.  In  my  perplexity,  I  determined  to  do  what 
I  could  without  the  manuscript.  When  I  was  ready 
to  open  the  service,  I  found  that  there  was  no  Bible  at 
hand.  No  doubt  the  people  thought  that  I  would 
furnish  all  the  books  that  would  be  needed.  This,  too, 
was  embarrassing.  Rev.  P.  Gast,  who  was  at  the  time 
visiting  his  parents,  was  present  and  I  requested  him 
to  conduct  the  worship  while  I  endeavored  to  collect 
my  thoughts  for  the  sermon.  This  helped  me  a  little, 
though  his  presence  tended  to  increase  my  confusion. 
When  the  messenger  who  had  been  sent  for  the  Bible 
returned  wtih  only  the  New  Testament,  I  was  dis- 
mayed. I  had  chosen  a  free  text,  and  that  was  in  the 
Old  Testament.  In  my  flurry  I  could  not  repeat  it 
from  memory  and  could  think  of  nothing  better  to  do 
in  my  extremity  than  to  select  another  text  and  trust 
in  God  for  the  result  of  my  effort.  I  had  had  some 
experience  in  extemporaneous  speaking  at  the  Sem- 
inary, and  the  necessity  seemed  laid  upon  me  of  using 
such  gift  as  I  possessed.  God  did  not  forsake  me.  I 
preached,  the  people  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  Pas- 
tor Gast  allayed  my  fears  by  assuring  me  that  my  ser- 
mon was  not  a  rambling  mass  of  confusion.  And  I 
learned  something  that  was  worth  learning. 

There  were  at  Middletown  also  a  few  families  be- 
134 


mtm  ot  wv  ^itt 


longing  to  the  German  Reformed  Church,  and  these 
had  joined  with  the  Lutherans  in  the  project  of  erect- 
ing a  house  of  worship  on  the  lot  donated  for  the  pur- 
pose without  denominational  restrictions.  The  Re- 
formed pastor  at  Delaware  used  his  alternate  Sundays 
to  serve  these  people,  and  in  this  regard  they  were  as 
well  supplied  as  the  Lutherans.  When,  after  I  had 
preached  there  for  a  while,  the  school  house  was  seen 
to  be  entirely  too  small  and  the  thought  of  finishing  the 
building  which  had  been  begun  was  revived,  the 
trouble  with  the  Reformed  began  and  became  as  ex- 
citing as  it  was  at  Delaware.  They  had  put  some 
money  into  the  building,  and  insisted  that  they  must 
have  equal  rights  in  it,  if  it  were  finished.  Evidently 
it  was  the  same  case  as  had  so  often  occurred,  that  the 
Lutherans  were  expected  to  furnish  the  funds,  and  the 
Reformed  must  be  entitled  to  an  equal  share  of  the 
benefit.  In  the  present  case  my  contention,  that  each 
church  should  have  its  own  home  and  not  allow  itself 
to  be  hampered  in  its  judgments  and  desires  by  co- 
partnership with  others,  whose  wishes  and  purposes 
would  naturally  be  different,  had  much  opposition  to 
overcome.  The  principal  members  of  our  congrega- 
tion had  come  from  Pennsylvania  and  were  accus- 
tomed to  union  with  the  Reformed.     Indeed,  some  of 

135 


fetotp  ot  9$v  2L«e 


both  churches  had  come  from  the  same  place  and  had 
worshiped  together  in  the  same  building.  Moreover, 
some  of  the  chief  members  of  both  parties  were  in- 
termarried and  in  consequence  households  were 
divided.  My  predecessors,  too,  had  never  lifted  their 
voices  against  the  union,  if  they  had  not  directly  fos- 
tered it.  The  most  active  and  the  most  influential 
members  of  my  congregation  were  married  to  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church.  This  made  my  situation 
difficult. 

But  Bro.  C.  Cast,  who  had  donated  the  lot,  and 
who  was  by  far  the  strongest  man  in  the  settlement, 
of  sturdy  sense  and  stalwart  Lutheran  convictions, 
stood  by  me  and  helped  me  much.  His  wife  was  Re- 
formed, but  all  his  children  were  Lutherans.  His 
brother's  wife  was  Reformed,  but  his  children  were 
also  Lutherans.  His  sister,  who  was  a  Lutheran,  was 
also  married  to  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
who  was  not  in  harmony  with  me  and  my  work,  but 
who  was  not  a  man  of  great  force  in  the  community. 
The  conditions  were  in  my  favor.  In  the  progress  of 
my  work  the  wives  of  the  brothers  Cast  united  with  our 
congregation,  the  children  of  the  families  were  mem- 
bers, and  we  had  with  us  not  only  the  larger  number, 

136 


fetors  ot  ^v  ^itt 


but  also  the  more  intelligent  and  the  more  active  peo- 
ple of  the  two  churches. 

This  is  not  saying  that  all  moved  along  without 
friction  and  with  even  pace.  Our  people  were  union- 
ists by  habit,  and  unionism  is  generally  not  overcome 
without  a  struggle.  It  came  to  the  surface  in  the  early 
stages  of  my  work  even  in  a  more  threatening  form 
than  it  had  appeared  in  Delaware.  On  the  day  of  our 
preparatory  service  for  the  second  communion  which  I 
administered  during  my  pastorate  in  the  congregation, 
a  leading  member  thought  it  his  duty  to  remind  me 
that  at  the  former  communion  I  had  not  invited  mem- 
bers in  good  standing  of  other  denominations  to  par- 
take of  the  Holy  Supper  with  us.  I  replied  that  it  was 
not  an  oversight  on  my  part,  but  that  the  omission 
was  intentional,  because  I  thought  the  practice  wrong 
and  I  could  not  adopt  it.  He  replied  that  our  consti- 
tution required  it  and  the  congregation  expected  me  to 
conform  to  the  custom.  I  had  not  noticed  such  an 
article  in  the  constitution,  else  it  would  have  been 
brought  up  for  consideration  before,  and  now  I  could 
see  no  better  course  than  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  vot- 
ing members  at  once  and  have  the  matter  settled  be- 
fore administering  the  sacrament.  I  then  told  the 
brethren  my  trouble,  assuring  them  that  I  had  no  dis- 

137 


&tDtp  Of  9$V  3LiU 


position  to  override  their  rules  and  take  the  govern- 
ment into  my  own  hands,  but  that  I  must  be  faithful  to 
Christ  and  the  Church  as  bound  by  His  Word,  and 
could  not  obey  a  rule  inviting  to  promiscuous  com- 
munion, since  this  would  conflict  with  our  confession, 
break  down  our  scriptural  discipline,  and  accord  to 
members  of  other  denominations  what  we  cannot  ac- 
cord our  own,  thus  in  a  false  liberalism  and  feigned 
charity  discriminating  in  favor  of  sectarians  against 
our  own  church.  The  subject  was  too  large  and  too 
important  to  be  fully  presented  and  discussed  in  the 
short  time  then  at  our  disposal,  but  it  was  plain  that 
some  action  was  necessary,  as  I  could  not  act  as  pastor 
under  a  rule  that  burdened  my  conscience.  Two  ways 
were  open  to  remove  the  difficulty:  Either  I  should 
be  released  from  the  call  which  I  had  accepted,  or  from 
the  requirement  which  was  oppressive  and  deprived 
me  of  all  desire  to  continue  my  work.  The  congrega- 
tion was  astonished  at  the  turn  matters  had  taken  when 
all  seemed  prosperous,  and  was  in  no  mood  even  to 
think  of  dismissing  me  so  summarily.  With  a  una- 
nimity that  was  cheering  to  me  the  stumbling  block 
was  removed,  so  that  I  could  conduct  my  office  with- 
out unionistic  interferences.  Occasionally  it  became 
apparent  that  the  leaven  had  not  been  wholly  purged 


138 


fetor?  ot  ^v  %itt 


out.  Unionism  always  dies  hard,  and  even  when  it  is 
eradicated  in  individuals  by  the  power  of  divine  truth, 
it  still  continues  to  work  in  the  community  and  to  in- 
fect our  people.  It  is  one  of  the  travesties  of  liberty 
and  love  that  will  never  cease  to  afflict  Christians. 

The  church  building  in  Prospect  was  completed 
and  our  services  were  held  there.  This  was  a  great 
improvement  upon  our  former  cramped  facilities.  We 
could  now  look  forward  to  a  better  organization  of  our 
forces.  But  the  Reformed  claimed  one-half  of  our 
property,  since  they  had  collected  some  money  in 
Pennsylvania  and  had  contributed  something  them- 
selves towards  the  building.  The  whole  cost  of  the 
frame  building  which  we  occupied  at  present  rates  of 
estimate  was  very  small,  and  the  proportion  which  the 
Reformed  contingent  had  furnished  was  even  ridicu- 
lously small.  But  they,  few  as  they  were  and  little 
as  they  had  contributed,  insisted  on  their  claim.  Thus 
we  were  forbidden  the  use  of  the  building  on  alternate 
Sundays,  which  belonged  to  the  ''Reformed  side." 
This  crippled  us  without  doing  them  any  good,  except 
so  far  as  the  reservation  of  every  two  weeks  for  their 
service  was  concerned.  Their  urgency  of  an  unjust 
claim  helped  me.  Those  who  were  not  fully  convinced 
by  my  pleas   for  liberty  to  build  up  the   Lutheran 


139 


feitotp  ot  9?p  %itt 


Church  according  to  its  own  principles  and  hfe,  were 
convinced  that  wq  should  not  yield  to  claims  which  con- 
flicted with  natural  rights.  And  so  the  war  at  Pros- 
pect was  but  an  extension  and  continuance  of  the  war 
at  Delaware.  The  question  of  property  rights  was 
nearly  the  same,  and  although  I  was  thirteen  miles 
away  and  could  not  exert  the  same  personal  influence 
on  many  of  the  members  as  I  had  the  opportunity  of 
doing  at  Delaware,  where  I  lived,  the  sense  of  right 
was  a  power  among  my  people ;  and  the  foe  could  not 
even  prevail  against  that,  much  less  against  the  power 
of  truth,  on  which  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  is  estab- 
lished. The  work  grew  in  Prospect  and  the  more  it 
grew^  and  the  more  my  suggestion  that  it  should  in  due 
time  become  an  independent  parish  found  acceptance, 
the  more  the  Lutherans  felt  hampered  by  their  unhappy 
league  with  the  Reformed,  which  gave  us  the  use  of  the 
church  only  half  the  time.  The  storm  became  more 
and  more  threatening. 

One  Sunday  morning,  as  I  rode  into  the  village 
to  do  my  work,  one  of  the  members  of  my  congregation, 
who  was  the  son  of  the  original  founder  of  the  town 
and  a  solid  defender  of  our  cause,  met  me  with  a  broad 
smile  and  told  me  that  he  had  good  news  to  impart.  I 
am  not  aware  that  I  ever  gave  cause  to  suspect  that  I 

140 


)iM   C.n  :;.  11.   rKi,^r,.v  i,   L 


mn^  ot  ^^  %iU 


would  be  glad  if  I  were  free  from  all  property  encum- 
brances, so  that  we  could  do  our  work  of  faith  without 
such  entanglements.  But  no  doubt  our  people  sur- 
mised my  thoughts  and  feelings.  Bro.  Gast  was  right 
in  presuming  that  which  he  had  to  communicate  was 
good  news  to  me.  He  informed  me  that  on  the  pre- 
ceding night  our  church  had  burned  down,  and  that  we 
were  now  free  to  do  our  own  work  in  our  own  way, 
without  having  others  to  meddle  with  our  business.  I 
rejoiced  with  him,  and  thought  with  him  that  the  seem- 
ing loss  was  all  gain.  He  proposed  to  buy  the  property 
now  with  the  building  in  ruins,  and  secure  all  our 
rights,  as  a  congregation,  without  involving  us  in  any 
suits  at  law,  as  he  meant  to  assume  all  responsibility. 
This  was  accordingly  done,  and  we  were  free  to  begin 
anew.  By  this  time  my  people  had  lost  all  longing  for 
joint  ownership  of  church  property  with  another  de- 
nomination, and  preparations  were  at  once  made  to 
build  a  church  of  our  own.  A  lot  was  secured,  and  in 
a  few  months  we  had  a  neat  brick  house  of  worship 
which  we  could  arrange  to  suit  ourselves  and  use  as 
frequently  as  our  growing  work  required. 

There  were  other  denominations  represented  in 
Prospect  besides  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed,  and  not 
a   little   jealousy    existed.     The    Methodists   had   the 

141 


fe»totp  of  9^v  mat 


largest  number  of  members,  but  they  were  divided,  the 
Episcopal  and  the  Protestant  Methodists  each  having 
a  church  of  its  own  and  interfering  much  with  each 
other's  work  by  their  separate  protracted  meetings. 
Sometimes  the  one,  sometimes  the  other  would  be  in 
the  lead,  as  the  "conversions"  reported  were  largely 
from  each  other.  Once  at  a  big  revival  the  entire 
membership  of  the  "Radicals"  was  said  to  have  been 
"converted" ;  at  any  rate  their  church  was  closed.  The 
Baptists  also  had  a  considerable  following,  and  their 
minister  was  a  bold,  aggressive  leader.  The  wild 
methods  of  these  sects  did  not  commend  themselves 
strongly  to  the  judgments  and  hearts  of  our  Lutheran 
people,  and  all  their  jealous  proselyting  failed  to 
make  much  impression  on  them  or  in  any  serious  way 
to  injure  our  work.  To  the  principal  members  of  my 
flock  the  fanatical  proceeding  of  these  sects  was  pos- 
itively repulsive. 

Though  I  had  little  to  do  with  these  other  churches 
or  their  preachers,  not  only  because  their  condition  and 
work  did  not  come  within  the  scope  of  my  vocation, 
but  also  because  my  duties,  whenever  I  visited  the  vil- 
lage, fully  occupied  my  time,  a  circumstance  occurred 
which  brought  me  into  undeserved  prominence  among 
them.     One  Sunday,  when  I  preached  on  the  subject 

142 


fetot^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


of  Baptism,  the  ever-busy  Baptist  preacher,  in  accor- 
dance with  the  reputation  which  he  had  for  bold 
aggressiveness,  asked  permission  to  say  a  few  words. 
I  had  heard  that  he  had  challenged  two  ministers  of  the 
place  to  a  debate  on  the  subject  of  that  sacrament,  and 
that  both  had  declined  to  meet  him,  in  consequence  of 
which  he  was  elated  to  heroic  daring.  It  seemed  to  me 
prudent,  under  restrictions  necessary  to  prevent  dis- 
turbance, to  grant  him  the  privilege.  Agreeing  to  the 
conditions  stated,  he  asked  me  where  a  Word  of  God 
which  I  had  used  was  to  be  found  in  the  Scriptures. 
Happily  I  could  turn  without  any  delay  to  chapter  and 
verse,  which  I  did,  reading  it  in  its  context  with 
emphasis,  but  without  comment.  He  then  asked  me 
if  I  would  meet  him  in  debate  on  the  whole  subject  of 
Baptism,  to  which  I  answered  unhesitatingly.  Yes. 
All  was  then  quiet  and  the  services  were  closed  as 
usual. 

But  it  was  not  so  quiet  when  the  people  were  once 
outside  of  the  church.  They  were  not  slow  in  express- 
ing their  opinion,  in  which  the  incident  at  the  close  was 
more  conspicuous  than  the  sermon.  The  community, 
which  was  well  represented  at  our  service,  including  a 
fair  sprinkling  of  Baptists,  was  generally  in  my  favor, 
and  what  was  more  to  me,  my  congregation  was  unani- 

143 


fetot^  Ot  9^v  mtt 


mous  in  approval  of  my  sermon  and  my  conduct  in 
dealing  with  the  pugnacious  Baptist  minister. 

It  is  questionable  whether  public  debates  on  relig- 
ious subjects  are  conducive  to  the  interests  of  Christ's 
Kingdom.  There  is  usually  so  much  of  carnal  thought 
and  prejudice  and  sentiment  associated  with  them,  that 
the  profit  which  might  otherwise  result  is  overborne 
by  the  incidental  evils.  But  the  conditions  were  such 
in  this  case  that  refusal  to  meet  my  antagonist  would 
be  productive  of  damage  to  the  cause  in  which  I  was 
engaged,  and  as  I  think  of  it  now  I  still  approve  my 
decision,  the  more  so  as  I  saw  a  good  opportunity  to 
bear  testimony  to  a  great  truth  which  the  members  of 
some  denominations  had  probably  never  heard.  Ar- 
rangements were  accordingly  made  for  the  debate.  It 
was  my  desire  that  it  should  be  held  in  the  Baptist 
Church,  which  was  the  largest  in  the  village.  The 
other  matters  were  easily  agreed  on.  The  discussion 
should  last  three  days,  with  two  sessions  of  three  hours 
each  day.  The  speakers  to  alternate  every  half  hour. 
The  topics  decided  on  were  the  nature,  the  subjects,  and 
the  mode  of  Baptism,  to  each  of  which  one  day  was 
to  be  devoted,  six  addresses  of  half  an  hour's  length 
being  allotted  to  each  of  the  speakers.     A  moderator 

for  each  of  the  parties  was  chosen  with  a  chief  moder- 

144 


^ 


'wiF 


m^mm^^^:' 


u 


btot^  ot  9^v  3Litt 


ator,  who  should  preside.  It  was  well  arranged  and 
no  difficulties  of  a  formal  kind  occurred.  As  far  as 
I  was  concerned  the  moderating  was  all  satisfactory, 
and  the  only  thing  that  ruffled  me  proceeded  from  our 
own  quarters.  Whether  wisely  or  unwisely  under  such 
circumstances,  we  had  appointed  a  meeting  for  worship 
on  an  evening  during  the  debate,  and  I  requested  a  good 
brother,  who  was  a  zealous  Lutheran,  to  preach  the 
sermon.  He  was  a  good  preacher,  and  although  I 
knew  that  he  was  eccentric,  I  thought  his  decided 
Lutheranism  would  serve  our  cause.  Knowing  him 
and  knowing  his  failing,  I  admonished  him,  in  view  of 
the  prevailing  excitement  and  the  need  of  a  restful  and 
soothing  Gospel  sermon  after  a  day  spent  in  contro- 
versy, that  his  discourse  should  be  brief  and  free  from 
all  polemics,  that  we  might  have  an  evening  of  peace 
and  prayer  under  the  benediction  of  our  present  Lord. 
He  preached  a  sermon  which  under  some  cicumstances 
would  have  been  pronounced  good,  but  whose  inap- 
propriateness  at  such  a  time  and  place  rendered  it  a 
painful  performance.  After  I  waited  long,  and  as 
patiently  as  the  unhappy  situation  permitted,  for  the 
close,  he  announced  his  second  part.  The  large  au- 
dience was  weary  and  becoming  more  and  more  restless, 
as  the  ordinary  length  of.  a  sermon  had  already  been 
10  14S 


fetDtp  ot  9?^  mtt 


exceeded.  What  I  then  did  was  not  a  very  polite 
thing,  as  I  was  well  aware,  but  it  was  the  best  that 
occurred  to  me  in  my  distress.  As  I  occupied  a  seat 
near  the  pulpit  stairs  I  quietly  shifted  my  position  to 
a  higher  seat  on  the  pulpit,  which  probably  would  have 
attracted  little  attention,  and  made  a  sign  to  him  that 
it  was  growing  late.  He  took  offense  at  my  action,  at 
once  closed  the  Bible  and,  remarking  that  he  had  "re- 
ceived notice  to  quit,"  left  the  service  in  my  hands.  I 
said  nothing,  but  closed  in  the  usual  form,  and  the 
congregation  was  dismissed  as  if  nothing  unusual  had 
happened.  Next  morning  my  eccentric  friend  left  for 
his  home  before  breakfast,  and  without  bidding  me 
good-bye.  So  far  as  I  know,  however,  he  never 
allowed  his  discomfiture  to  banish  me  from  the  circle 
of  his  friends ;  for  on  occasions  of  trouble  afterwards 
he  appealed  to  me  for  advice.  I  cannot  refrain  from 
remarking,  in  recording  the  incident,  that  advice  in 
such  cases  is  usually  fruitless  when  a  person  is  in- 
capable of  discrimination.  My  friend  was  unsuccess- 
ful as  a  minister,  and  finally  abandoned  the  calling. 

I  was  disturbed  by  the  untoward  event,  but  so  far 
as  reports  came  to  my  ears  the  unhappy  incident,  so 
far  as  it  made  any  impression,  worked  only  in  my  favor. 

The  debate  went  on  without  any  reference  to  the  in- 

146 


feitor^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


terlude,  which  was  so  painful  to  me.  Of  course  I  made 
no  allusion  to  it,  much  as  it  depressed  me.  God  in  His 
infinite  mercy  gave  me  grace  to  ignore  the  circum- 
stances which  might  have  proved  injurious  to  the  cause 
which  I  advocated.  Even  my  physical  infirmity,  which 
frequently  came  upon  me  and  which  came  with  increas- 
ing force  under  the  excitement  which  the  disputation 
caused,  was  never  mentioned,  except  in  the  closing 
address,  when  it  seemed  necessary  as  an  apology,  not 
for  the  doctrine  for  which  I  contended,  but  for  the 
feebleness  on  my  part  in  the  contention. 

The  event  was  a  notable  one  in  the  history  of  Pros- 
pect at  the  time,  small  as  its  influence  may  have  been  in 
the  subsequent  life  of  the  community.  It  is  now,  half 
a  century  later,  almost  forgotten.  But  little  good  as 
generally  results  from  public  debates  on  religious 
subjects,  it  helped  me  in  my  work.  My  adversary  was 
strong  only  in  matters  of  indifference ;  in  the  essential 
matters  of  the  divine  purpose  in  the  institution  of  holy 
Baptism  he  was  pitifully  weak.  The  community  saw 
his  inability  to  appreciate  the  teaching  of  Scripture 
regarding  the  import  and  purpose  of  the  holy  sacra- 
ment, and  his  written  presentation  which  took  little 
account  of  the  words  of  our  Lord  and  His  apostles  in 
this  regard,  and  which  was  wholly  inadequate  to  meet 

147 


fetot^  ot  9$v  ^itt 


my  presentation  of  the  Lutheran  doctrine,  put  him  at 
a  disadvantage  from  the  start,  and  he  could  not  recover 
from  this  when  we  came  to  the  points  where  his  Bap- 
tistic  theories  made  it  possible  to  appeal  with  some  hope 
of  success  to  the  natural  mind.  At  any  rate  our  work 
went  on  without  the  least  disturbance,  while  our  Bap- 
tistic  friend  became  less  aggressive  and  soon  after 
abandoned  the  field.  Whether  the  Baptist  congrega- 
tion still  exists  in  Prospect  I  do  not  know,  but  I  do 
know  that  the  Lutheran  Church  still  flourishes  there 
and,  with  its  new  and  larger  building,  is  a  power  in 
the  community. 

My  first  year  as  pastor  at  Delaware  confined  me 
to  that  congregation  for  service  every  two  weeks.  The 
alternate  Sunday  was  thus  free,  though  it  was  fully 
understood  that  I  should  devote  it  to  the  congregation 
at  Prospect  to  the  extent  of  preaching  there  every 
second  Sunday.  Before  the  first  year  of  my  ministry 
was  ended  a  delegation  came  to  me  from  Norton,  nine 
miles  north  of  Delaware,  requesting  me  to  preach  there. 
The  brethren  presenting  the  petition  informed  me  that 
there  were  some  Lutherans  there  who  desired  the  means 
of  grace,  and  that  they  desired  me  to  come  and  admin- 
ister them.  To  urge  their  suit  they  assured  me  that 
former  Lutheran  pastors  at  Delaware  had  performed 

148 


&tnr^  Bt  ^v  mu 


ministerial  functions  there ;  that  Rev.  Pope  and  Rev. 
Kline  before  him  had  officiated  there ;  and  that  there 
were  Lutherans  there  who  were  hungering  for  the 
bread  of  life.  I  was  won  by  the  appeal,  and  agreed 
to  come,  appointing  a  time  to  meet  the  Lutherans 
at  a  given  place.  I  came  and  met  them.  They  re- 
ported that  for  some  years  past  the  Lutheran  minister 
at  Delaware  had  preached  there;  that  no  organization 
had  been  formed ;  but  that  the  people  had  paid  him  for 
his  services  and  all  denominations  united  in  contribut- 
ing for  the  purpose.  I  told  them  that  my  interest  was 
in  the  Lutheran  Church;  and  that  all  my  labors  could 
only  tend  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of  God  as  repre- 
sented by  the  Lutheran  Reformation  with  its  glorious 
Confession,  and  that  probably  my  advent  in  such  a  field 
would  result  in  dissensions.  The  little  experience 
which  I  had  gathered  in  my  ministry  thus  far  induced 
me  to  think  that  candor  required  such  a  statement, 
that  there  might  be  no  misunderstandings  and  that  no 
false  hopes  might  be  engendered.  One  meeting  was 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  John  Coleman,  who  was  a  sturdy 
old  Pennsylvanian,  whose  Lutheranism  had  become 
sounder  and  deeper  through  the  influence  of  his  de- 
vout Swabian  wife,  who  remembered  the  catechism 
which   she   had   been   taught   and   the   pious    life   of 

U9 


fetot^  ot  ^v  llitt 


her  old  German  home.  To  the  doubt  which  I  ex- 
pressed whether  my  coming  would  not  result  only 
in  contentions  among  neighbors  without  any  real 
good  for  the  Church,  this  family  especially  made 
replies  which  rebuked  my  littleness  of  faith  and  en- 
couraged me  to  make  an  appointment  for  public 
worship  at  the  school-house,  where  all  such  religious 
services  had  been  held  in  the  past.  I  came  at  the 
appointed  hour  and  preached  a  sermon  with  which 
no  fault  was  found.  The  trouble  came  after  the  ser- 
mon. The  same  conviction  which  induced  me  to  make 
a  confession  at  the  preliminary  meeting  at  a  private 
house,  induced  me  to  make  a  similar  statement  at  this 
public  meeting.  The  wisdom  of  this  may  be  debatable ; 
but  now,  after  more  than  half  a  century  of  experience 
of  my  own  and  of  observation  of  the  experience  of 
others,  I  still  maintain  the  same  ground,  though  I 
have  since  learned  much  and  thought  much  on  the 
subject  I  honestly  confessed  my  purpose  to  organize 
those  who  were  of  the  Lutheran  faith  into  a  congre- 
gation that  would  confess  this  faith,  and  in  this  spirit 
to  continue  my  work.  Accordingly  I  made  an  appoint- 
ment for  another  service,  coupled  with  the  special  in- 
vitation that  all  Lutherans  should  meet  me  in  consul- 
tation after  the  services.     Then  the  war  began.     Right 

150 


&mv  ot  a?^  %itt 


and  left,  after  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  the  ex- 
cited multitude  assailed  me.  Even  now  as  I  think  of  it, 
the  wonders  of  God's  grace  crowd  on  me  in  stupendous 
majesty.  From  all  sides,  sectarians,  led  by  the  Re- 
formed, who  were  accustomed  to  have  equal  rights  with 
the  Lutherans,  stormed  against  me.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber all  that  they  threatened  me  with,  while  I  made  my 
impeded  progress  from  the  school-house  to  my  horse, 
which  finally  bore  me  away  from  the  unruly  crowd.  At 
the  appointed  time  I  came  again,  and  preached  the 
Gospel  of  God's  grace  to  sinful  men.  Again  the  school- 
house  was  crowded,  but  the  zeal  of  our  opponents 
had  spent  its  main  force,  and  we  were  permitted  to 
have  a  consultation  without  much  disturbance.  About 
half  a  dozen  Lutheran  families  were  ready  to  organize 
a  Lutheran  congregation,  while  a  few  more  of  mixed 
families,  and  another  few  who  had  become  indifferent, 
presented  a  prospect  of  future  increase.  I  continued 
my  appointments  for  service  every  second  Sunday 
afternoon,  and  although  the  opposition  was  strong  and 
often  bitter,  the  interest  in  our  work  grew.  A  good 
Lutheran  constitution  was  adopted,  although  some  of 
our  own  people  hesitated  about  forming  so  exclusive  an 
organization,  until  their  scruples,  which  were  found  to 
be  of  a  pecuniary  sort,  were  removed.     They  were  con- 

151 


fetor?  ot  9^v  ^itt 


cerned  about  my  support,,  and  at  a  meeting  declared 
that,  with  the  loss  of  the  contributions  from  members 
of  other  denominations  and  casual  donations  from  citi- 
zens of  no  religious  profession,  they  could  promise 
me  no  respectable  salary.  Fortunately  I  was  in  a 
condition  to  meet  that  emergency.  The  $250  sub- 
scribed for  my  support  had  met  my  wants  until  now. 
My  purpose  to  do  the  Lord's  work  had  thus  far  suffered 
no  interference  by  any  lack  of  necessaries.  Probably 
my  income  was  more  than  that,  but  I  cared  only  that 
daily  bread  was  furnished  to  an  honest  workman,  and 
I  never  had  trouble  on  that  account.  My  salary  was 
sufficient  for  my  needs,  and  I  was  content.  Therefore 
when  my  friends  at  Norton  presented  the  money 
matter  as  an  impediment  in  the  way  of  success,  God 
in  His  goodness  made  me  ready  to  remove  it.  I 
declared  that  I  had  never  asked  a  salary,  and  that  this 
therefore  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  question  before 
us.  But  as  the  matter  of  salary  was  so  prominently 
brought  forward,  I  inquired  how  much  had  been  paid 
by  the  promiscuous  multitude  that  had  been  accustomed 
to  contribute  for  the  support  of  ministers  before  my 
time,  and  was  informed  that  in  the  best  case  it 
amounted  to  forty  dollars.  I  requested  that  a  sub- 
scription should  be  circulated,  but  assured  them  that 

m 


u 


fetors  ot  9^^  %iU 


this  had  nothing  to  do  with  our  work  so  far  as  I  was 
concerned,  as  God  had  so  far  provided  for  me  that 
I  could  be  satisfied  with  anything  or  nothing  from 
them  under  existing  circumstances.  They  circulated 
the  subscription,  and  at  the  next  meeting,  when  they 
reported  that  double  the  amount  which  had  ever  been 
raised  before  was  subscribed,  I  proposed  that  a  little 
church  should  be  built  for  our  little  congregation, 
and  that  the  amount  subscribed  for  my  salary  should 
be  devoted  to  that  object.  They  were  surprised  at  the 
offer,  but  agreed  to  accept  it  and  went  to  work  with 
a  will.  In  a  comparatively  short  time  a  modest  house 
of  worship  was  built  and  dedicated,  and  we  worshiped 
the  Lord  in  our  own  home  according  to  our  own  faith, 
and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon  us.  The  opposition 
to  our  work  continued,  and  not  long  aftervv^ards  the 
Reformed  also  built  a  church  close  by  ours.  But  our 
congregation,  small  as  it  was,  was  established  on  the 
foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone,  and  we  had 
nothing  to  fear.  I  think  too  that  most  of  the  members, 
like  myself,  feared  nothing.  Evil  reports  were  circu- 
lated about  me,  but  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain  they 
never  harmed  my  good  reputation  or  my  good  work. 


m 


S)tot^  of  9?^  %iU 


We  had  come  to  stay  and  never  quitted  the  field,  and 
God  blessed  us  and  our  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love. 
There  was  thus  an  addition  to  the  parish  com- 
mitted to  my  charge.  One  Sunday  was  devoted  to  Del- 
aware, the  second  Sunday  was  divided  between  Pros- 
pect and  Norton.  But  the  congregations  grew,  and  the 
needs  became  greater  and  the  work  more  laborious. 
The  principal  congregation  at  Delaware  became  larger, 
and  as  I  lived  there,  its  increasing  wants  especially 
impressed  me  and  often  troubled  me.  I  was  willing  to 
do  what  I  could  to  supply  these  wants,  preaching  twice 
on  the  Sundays  devoted  to  the  home  congregation  and 
often  three  times,  with  at  least  one  meeting  for  Bible 
study  every  week,  often  two,  on  Wednesday  and  Fri- 
day evenings,  besides  the  catechetical  and  Sunday 
School  work.  There  was  a  little  band  of  young  peo- 
ple, especially  young  men,  that  was  eager  to  learn,  and 
God  gave  me  grace  to  be  just  as  eager  to  teach.  But 
what  troubled  me  most  was  the  necessity  of  being 
absent  from  the  Delaware  congregation  every  second 
Sunday,  which  seemed  to  me  no  longer  necessary  after 
we  had  entered  our  new  church.  The  congregations 
had  grown  to  such  an  extent  that  the  salary  question 
seemed  to  me  no  obstacle  to  the  improvement,  which 
the  welfare  of  the  whole  charge  required.    I  therefore 

154 


fetDt^  Dt  ^V  mtt 


proposed  a  division  of  the  charge,  so  that  Prospect  and 
Norton  would  form  an  independent  parish  with  a  pas- 
tor of  its  own,  and  my  work  should  be  confined  to  the 
congregation  at  Delaware.  After  much  reflection  and 
consultation  and  agitation  of  the  subject,  the  plan  was 
adopted,  and  Rev.  P.  Gast  was  called  to  take  charge 
of  our  two  filial  churches,  while  I  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  miOther  congregation.  So  after  about  nine  years 
of  labor  in  the  vv^hole  parish  I  parted  in  sadness  from 
a  devoted  people  who  had  always  treated  me  kindly, 
but  with  the  firm  conviction  that  their  new  pastor 
would  give  them  tender  care  while  I  would  be  free 
to  do  more  for  Delaware. 

It  needs  scarcely  to  be  mentioned  that  we  now 
provided  for  divine  service  every  Sunday,  and  our 
situation  was  such  that  at  least  two  services  v/ith 
preaching  were  necessary.  When  I  took  charge  of  the 
congregation  there  had  been  no  regular,  but  only  occa- 
sional English  preaching.  The  congregation  had, 
however,  becom.e  convinced  that  more  account  must 
be  made  of  EngHsh  ministrations,  and  it  was  stipulated 
in  my  call  that  I  must  regularly  preach  English  in 
addition  to  the  main  German  service  in  the  morning. 
I  had  faithfully  observed  this  rule.  The  worship  in 
the  forenoon  was  always  German,  and  English  services 


15S 


&tot^  ot  9?^  JLitt 


could  be  held  at  any  time  that  I  thought  best,  provided 
only  that  there  should  be  no  interference  with  the  prin- 
cipal morning  worship  in  German.  It  was  a  difficult 
problem  that  was  thus  presented  for  solution.  Various 
ways  were  tried.  For  a  while  I  preached  English 
after  the  German  service,  but  while  this  was  satis- 
factory to  the  Germans,  who  were  free  to  return  to 
their  homes  when  their  morning  service  was  closed, 
it  did  not  suit  those  who  understood  both  languages, 
who  were  desirous  of  hearing  both  sermons  but  com- 
plained of  weariness  at  so  long  a  session.  An  evening 
service  in  English  was  tried,  but  some  members  who 
lived  in  the  country  and  preferred  an  English  sermon, 
complained  that  it  subjected  them  to  an  unnecessary 
disadvantage.  Finally  we  settled  upon  the  afternoon, 
and  this  became  the  permanent  arrangement.  Our 
order  for  the  Lord's  Day  accordingly  was  to  have 
Sunday  School  and  German  worship  in  the  forenoon 
and  English  services  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
Regularly  we  had  meetings  for  Bible  study  on  Wed- 
nesday evening  and  at  some  seasons  also  on  Friday 
evening,  besides  the  customary  instruction  of  catechu- 
mens. 

My  earnest  endeavor  was  to  build  up  a  well-indoc- 
trinated and  God-fearing  Lutheran  congregation.    For 

156 


&tDt»  Of  9$V  ^itt 


this  I  prayed  and  for  this  God  gave  me  a  mind  to 
work.  In  my  youthful  zeal,  I  no  doubt  made  mis- 
takes, but  they  were  just  as  likely  to  lie  in  demanding 
too  much  of  myself  as  in  requiring  too  much  of  my 
people,  and  the  Lord,  whom  I  sought  faithfully  to 
serve,  directed  all  for  good. 

As  I  well  knew  that  all  the  power  for  saving  and 
sanctifying  souls  comes  from  God,  and  that  He  exer- 
cises this  power  through  His  Word,  my  preaching 
aimed  to  set  this  forth  in  all  its  heavenly  truth  and 
beauty,  that  God's  will  and  God's  work  might  be  done. 
I  was  thus  protected  from  the  beginning  against  the 
vice  of  serving  up  on  Sundays  my  everyday  reflections 
on  current  events,  or  ventilating  my  opinions  on  sec- 
ular subjects,  instead  of  preaching  the  gospel.  It  may 
be  that  in  my  effort  to  make  the  way  of  salvation  plain 
to  my  congregation  I  gave  so  much  prominence  to  the 
doctrine  that  some  hearers  might  have  been  led  to 
overlook  the  importance  of  a  holy  life.  I  know  how 
much  all  preachers  must  learn,  and  continue  to  learn 
all  their  lives,  in  the  sacred  art  of  rightly  dividing  the 
word  of  truth.  But  the  danger  lies  rather  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  that  of  preaching  law  unto  repentance 
until  people  are  driven  to  despair,  or  unto  holiness 
until  they  fall  into  a  fond  conceit  of  their  own  right- 

157 


&torp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


coiisncss,  and  in  both  cases  fail  to  embrace  Christ  as 
their  Saviour  from  sin  and  death  and  damnation.  So 
far  as  I  have  any  regrets  now  it  is  not  with  regard 
to  what  I  preached,  but  rather  in  regard  to  the  man- 
ner. And  yet  this,  too,  contributed  to  my  success,  so 
far  as  human  element  can  rightfully  be  taken  into  ac- 
count at  all  in  estimating  a  minister's  success.  While 
the  very  atmosphere  in  Delaware  was  charged  with  the 
religion  of  feeling,  and  the  whole  environment  urged 
upon  me  the  great  need  of  preaching  Christ  as  deliv- 
ered for  our  offenses  and  raised  again  for  our  justifi- 
cation, that  men  might  through  the  power  of  the  gos- 
pel believe  in  Him  and  find  peace  in  believing,  there 
was  something  in  my  manner  that  was  attractive  even 
to  those  who  probably  would  have  been  wearied,  if 
not  offended,  by  the  simple  presentation  and  exposition 
of  the  truth  in  Jesus.  By  temperament  and  partly  by^ 
education  also  I  was  a  man  of  feeling,  and  sentimen- 
talism  was  a  besetting  danger.  Even  in  doctrinal  ser- 
mons, in  the  midst  of  an  argument  or  an  explanation, 
my  feelings  would  at  times  become  so  enlisted  in  the 
subject  as  to  result  in  outbursts  which  would  no  doubt 
have  astonished  some  judicial  minds,  intent  on  follow- 
ing the  thread  of  the  discourse,  had  not  the  whole 
been  warm  and  fervent.    This,  with  occasional  scraps 


lis 


^tm  ot  9^v  ^itt 


of  poetry  and  antique  phrases  which  forced  themselves 
upon  my  memory  in  my  rapid  flow  of  speech,  no  doubt 
lent  it  a  spice  and  flavor  that  people  liked.  My  ser- 
mons were,  after  the  first  month  or  two,  always  deliv- 
ered without  manuscript.  At  the  Seminary  I  had  not 
learned  to  memorize  them,  and  I  never  succeeded 
when  I  afterwards  tried  to  learn  the  art.  Several 
times  I  read  them,  as  some  are  accustomed  to  do,  but 
I  never  liked  the  method  and  know  that  the  people 
generally  do  not  like  it;  I  am  sure,  too,  that  it  is  the 
least  effective  way  of  securing  attention  and  impress- 
ing a  subject.  Certainly  a  better  way  is  to  teach  stu- 
dents to  write  their  sermons  and  memorize  them. 
When  they  are  early  trained  to  this  the  committing  to 
memory  soon  becomes  so  easy  that  it  is  the  work  of 
but  a  few  hours,  and  the  preacher  has  all  the  advantage 
of  a  carefully  worded  sermon  and  unhampered  deliv- 
ery. For  me  the  best  preparation  was  to  write  out  the 
sermon,  as  if  it  were  to  be  read  to  the  audience,  then 
to  preach  it  without  any  further  use  of  manuscript. 
A  preacher  who  never  writes  his  sermons,  at  least  the 
first  year,  never  becomes  skillful  in  the  use  of  language, 
and  is  pretty  sure  to  fall  into  ruts  and  a  slavish  use 
of  pet  phrases  and  wearisome  repetitions.  I  accus- 
tomed myself  to  do  some  writing  every  week,  and 


U9 


fetotp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


studied  to  write  with  simplicity  and  clearness,  avoid- 
ing unusual  words,  complicated  constructions,  and  all 
ornament  that  contributed  nothing  to  clearness  in  con- 
veying the  thought. 

When  we  entered  our  new  church  the  opportunity 
was  embraced  to  arrange  our  service  more  in  accord- 
ance with  the  spirit  and  usage  of  the  Lutheran  Churcfi. 
The  clerical  gown  w^as  thenceforth  worn,  the  liturgy 
was  used  more  fully,  and  our  whole  worship  was  ren- 
dered more  solemn  and  more  beautiful.  These  im- 
provements were  made  without  much  trouble. 

The  weakest  part  of  my  work  was  in  my  estima- 
tion of  catechization.  This  was  not  owing  to  any 
lack  in  my  appreciation  of  the  time-honored  custom 
and  of  its  great  importance  as  a  means  of  building  up 
a  solid  congregation,  nor  any  lack  of  willingness  to 
perform  the  necessary  labor.  On  the  contrary,  I  deeply 
felt  the  need  of  diligent  and  patient  instruction  of  the 
young  to  accomplish  the  end  so  ardently  desired,  and 
the  need  seemed  to  me  intensified  in  such  an  environ- 
ment. But  I  had  received  little  instruction  in  the 
theory  or  in  the  practice  of  catechizing,  and  had  no 
experience  that  could  be  helpful.  I  was  not  long  in 
finding  out  the  truth  of  the  oft  repeated  saying,  that 

it  is  much  more  difficult  to  prepare  and  conduct  a  good 

160 


§)t0r^  Dt  Sip^  JLttt 


catechization  than  to  prepare  and  deliver  a  good  ser- 
mon. I  think  with  a  sigh  of  my  first  efforts.  No 
doubt  if  I  had  had  the  benefit  of  being  myself  prepared 
for  confirmation  by  a  good  catechist,  I  would  not  have 
felt  so  utterly  incompetent.  But  it  was  not  too  late 
yet  to  learn,  and  I  persevered  and  learned.  It  was 
much  in  my  favor  that  those  who  came  to  hear  my 
instructions,  as  a  few  besides  the  class  occasionally  did, 
knew  as  little  about  good  catechizing  as  I  did  myself. 
Consequently  no  fault  was  found  with  this  part  of  my 
work,  but  not  a  little  was  said  in  commendation  of  it. 
This  was  owing  to  the  fervent  appeals,  which  were 
frequently  interspersed  in  the  extended  explanations, 
while  only  at  larger  intervals  a  question  was  asked. 
What  was  the  greatest  fault  of  my  work  in  this  de- 
partment was  thus  made  a  subject  of  compliment.  But 
by  the  help  of  private  interviews  with  the  less  gifted 
of  the  class,  my  catechumens  were  brought  to  a  sav- 
ing knowledge  of  the  truth,  notwithstanding  the  faults 
in  my  method  of  teaching.  This  improved  as  I  grew 
older  and  gathered  experience,  but  with  the  original 
fault  in  my  training  to  hamper  me  I  never,  even  in  my 
most  optimistic  mood,  could  claim  to  have  reached  my 
ideal  of  a  good  catechist.     However,   I  strenuously 

labored  to  that  end,  and  that  helped  me ;  and  God  in 
11  lei 


fetorp  0f  9^v  JUitt 


this  respect  also  did  for  me  and  through  me  more 
than  I  was  able  to  ask  or  think,  and  therefore  my  cat- 
echetical work  was  by  no  means  a  failure. 

The  work  of  public  teaching  was  diligently  fol- 
lowed up  by  pastoral  visits  to  families  and  individuals, 
as  occasion  required  and  opportunities  presented.  I 
was  early  impressed  with  the  importance  of  system,  and 
order  in  the  work  to  be  done.  My  forenoons  were  uni- 
formly spent  in  the  study,  unless  I  was  especially  called 
away;  my  afternoons  were  just  as  uniformly  devoted 
to  outdoor  work,  the  evenings  being  left  free  for  mis- 
cellaneous reading,  social  intercourse,  or  urgent  calls. 
The  preparation  of  sermons  for  Sunday  of  necessity 
held  the  first  place  in  my  morning  thoughts,  but  I  usu- 
ally had  some  other  work  in  hand  to  which  an  hour 
or  two  could  be  devoted  every  day.  This  enabled  me 
to  study  many  a  subject  and  many  a  book  beyond  what 
was  requisite  for  immediate  use  in  my  sermons.  For  the 
afternoons  there  always  was  outdoor  work  in  plenty. 
Probably  a  pastor  who  does  not  find  enough  to  occupy 
his  whole  time,  even  though  his  charge  be  small,  has 
never  rightly  understood  the  magnitude  of  the  minis- 
terial calling  and  work,  and  should  diligently  inquire 
if  what  is  the  matter  is  not  his  lack  of  zeal  or  his  lazi- 
ness.   There  are  sick  to  visit,  there  are  troubled  souls 

162 


&totv  nt  ^v  ^itt 


to  comfort,  there  are  careless  members  to  admonish, 
there  are  dissensions  to  be  healed,  there  are  family 
troubles  to  be  settled,  there  are  individual  doubts  and 
difficulties  to  be  solved, —  there  is  scarcely  an  end  to 
the  cases  in  which  a  true  pastor  may  serve  the  Lord 
and  the  Church  by  caring  for  individual  souls.  The 
pastor  is  usually  himself  to  blame  if  such  private 
affairs  of  individuals,  though  they  may  be  a  menace 
to  their  salvation,  are  not  confided  to  him.  People  will 
confide  nothing  of  importance  to  a  pastor  who  shows 
no  pastoral  interest  in  the  sheep  of  his  fold,  and  who 
will  just  as  likely  as  not  m^ake  the  revelation  of  an 
individual  soul  the  subject  of  gossip. 

My  visitations  of  the  sick  and  suffering  were 
always  a  source  of  anxiety.  In  some  cases  they  were 
as  delightful  as  in  others  they  v/ere  excruciating.  It 
hardly  seems  proper  to  speak  of  pleasure  when  the 
results  of  sin  are  manifested  in  sickness  and  approach- 
ing death.  But  grace  is  mJghtier  than  sin,  and  where 
this  abounds  grace  doth  much  more  abound.  The  life 
in  Christ  is  greater  than  the  death  in  Adam,  and  the 
victory  over  sin  and  death  in  the  believer's  soul  is  a 
joy  to  behold.  Often  was  I  edified  more  by  a  visit  to 
a  Christian's  sick-bed  than  I  could  have  been  by  a 
sea-mon  setting  forth  the  truth  which  I  saw  illustrated 


1^ 


fetorp  ot  9^n  ^itt 


in  the  patient  and  peaceful  sufferin^e^  of  a  child  of 
God ;  and  few  things  in  my  life  were  more  effective 
to  quicken  the  consciousness  of  my  own  unworthiness 
than  the  hearty  thanks  which  were  sometimes  given  me 
by  such  meek  heirs  of  heaven  for  my  poor  ministra- 
tions. No  doubt  they  realized  the  heavenly  power  of 
the  message  which  I  brought  them,  without  noticing 
the  earthly  weakness  of  the  messenger  whom  God 
chose  for  the  purpose.  But  not  all  sick-beds  and  death- 
beds were  so  edifying.  Some  were  painful,  more  than 
I  can  tell.  Not  that  the  erring  opinion  had  entered 
my  mind  and  had  been  harbored  there,  that  all  Chris- 
tians physically  die  an  easy  death,  while  unbelievers 
always  depart  this  life  with  terrible  struggles,  so  that 
this  could  be  a  criterion  by  which  it  could  be  determ- 
ined whether  one  dies  in  the  Lord  or  not.  The  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  to  be  judged  by  any  such  ex- 
ternal tests.  Christian  souls  ordinarily  have  peace  in 
believing,  however  much  of  bodily  pain  it  may  please 
the  Lord  to  let  them  suffer  before  they  take  their 
flight  to  the  happy  land  where  pain  is  known  no  more. 
But  the  pastor's  visiting  of  the  sick  is  not  limited  to 
those  whose  daily  spiritual  nourishment  is  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  and  who  always  strive 

to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  oflfence  toward  God 

164 


&tor^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


and  man.  He  is  sometimes  called  to  the  dying  who  do 
not  know  the  Lord,  and  the  mere  fact  that  they  are 
not  of  his  own  congregation  cannot  close  his  heart 
against  their  cry  of  distress,  though  he  must  scrupu- 
lously guard  against  interference  with  the  rights  and 
duties  of  other  ministers.  And  in  our  own  congrega- 
tions there  are  members  who  do  not  use  the  opportu- 
nities which  God  gives  them  of  knowing  the  truth  and 
being  made  free  by  it  from  the  bonds  of  iniquity.  It 
is  sorrowful  work  which  a  pastor  must  do,  when  he 
comes  to  the  chamber  of  sickness  and  death  and  finds 
a  communicant  member  of  his  church,  now  awakened 
to  a  conscienciousness  of  his  sin,  inconsolable  in  view 
of  the  terrors  of  death  and  the  judgment,  and  this  all 
the  more  because  the  forms  of  godliness  were  usually 
observed  while  the  proffered  grace  was  rejected.  The 
pastor  must  not  despair  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  power  yet 
to  save  the  soul  that  is  despairing,  but  what  anxiety 
and  pain  must  in  some  such  cases  be  endured  by  a 
faithful  pastor  only  those  who  have  experienced  it  can 
know.  And  not  less  painful  are  those  instances  in 
which  not  even  approaching  death  serves  to  arouse  a 
sense  of  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin  and  the  urgent 
need  of  the  Saviour  who  alone  is  mighty  to  save. 
Cases    like    this    always    troubled    me   the    more    be- 


165 


&totp  oe  9$^  %itt 


cause  of  the  difficulties  usually  associated  with  the 
proper  treatment.  It  is  manifest  at  once  that  on  such 
patients  the  law  has  not  yet  done  its  proper  work,  and 
that  the  grace  of  the  gospel  could,  notwithstanding  all 
professions  that  sound  right  and  seem  right,  never 
have  been  rightly  understood  and  rightly  received.  A 
person  who  claims  to  be  ready  for  death  and  the  judg- 
ment because  there  is  no  blemish  upon  his  life  lacks 
something  essential.  I  never  experienced  much  diffi- 
culty in  finding  out  in  such  cases  what  were  the  evils 
to  which  Satan  was  resorting  to  keep  the  soul  away 
from  Christ.  Generally  a  brief  exploration  according 
to  the  Ten  Commandments  sufficed  to  lay  bare  the 
fundamental  mistake.  As  an  example  I  will  mention 
the  case  of  an  old  lady,  who  assured  me  that  she  was 
weary  of  the  world  and  ready  to  die.  Upon  asking  her 
if  she  was  conscious  of  being  a  poor  sinner,  who  could 
be  saved  only  by  grace,  and  if  she  trusted  in  Jesus  as 
the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world,  she  replied  that  that  was  what  she  had  been 
taught  from  her  youth,  and  so  she  had  always  believed. 
But  she  had  not  been  exemplary  in  her  duties  as  a 
member  of  the  congregation,  although  I  knew  nothing 
against  her  moral  life,  and  this  led  me  to  some  further 
questioning.     I  ran  through  the  Commandments,  in- 

166 


fetot?  of  9?g  %iU 


quiring  if  she  had  obeyed  each  of  them.  She  became 
offended  at  what  must  have  seemed  to  her  an  inquisi- 
torial process,  and  when  I  finally  asked  her  whether 
she  had  obeyed  all  these  Commandments,  she  became 
angry,  and  declared  that  until  now  no  one  had  ever 
dared  to  charge  her  with  the  transgression  of  the  Law 
of  the  Lord.  Of  course  I  persisted,  and  I  hope  that 
the  lady  died  in  the  faith  that  she  was  a  poor  sinner 
saved  by  grace.  I  mention  the  incident  to  emphasize 
the  difficulty  which  I  felt  in  dealing  with  such  cases. 
I  wanted  to  be  alone  with  the  individual  concerned, 
because  under  such  conditions  it  is  natural  that  some- 
times oft'ence  would  be  taken  at  the  stern  application 
of  the  law,  and  some  of  the  Vv^itnesses  would  be  incapa- 
ble of  understanding  the  need  of  what  seemed  to  them 
unfeeling  harshness,  especially  when  the  suffering 
from  disease  appeared  to  inflict  punishment  enough.  I 
desired,  and  I  am  not  of  a  different  mind  now,  that  the 
pastor  should  have  the  opportunity  to  be  alone  with 
the  sick  when  he  thinks  it  necessary,  and  always  found 
this  a  great  advantage  in  dealing  with  souls  committed 
to  my  charge.  The  self-righteous  person  may  at  first 
be  offended  at  a  trenchant  and  seemingly  unsympa- 
thetic insistance  upon  the  law  of  righteousness,  but  by 
the  grace  of  God  the  result  will  ordinarily  be  the  per- 

167 


fetorp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


ception  that  the  choice  must  be  made  between  our  own 
rightousness,  which  is  all  an  illusion,  and  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  which  is  real  and  perfect  and  which 
is  offered  in  the  gospel  without  money  and  price,  to 
be  apprehended  by  faith  alone.  The  cases  mentioned 
cause  trouble  enough  without  the  complications  caused 
by  curious  visitors.  Ordinarily  these  may  be  welcomed 
in  the  sick  room,  but  the  preacher  should  unquestion- 
ably have  the  same  privilege  as  the  physician  to  require 
privacy  when  he  deems  it  needful. 

Of  course  my  pastoral  visits  were  not  only  to 
the  sick.  Some  were  caused  by  troubles  of  which 
probably  none  knew  but  myself;  some  were  designed 
to  support  the  weak;  some  were  meant  to  express  my 
appreciation  of  good  work  done ;  some  were  prompted 
by  the  fear  that  individuals  or  families  were  becom- 
ing negligent  of  the  one  thing  needful,  or  were  in 
danger  of  going  astray:  all  had  the  purpose  of  pro- 
moting godliness  in  heart  and  home,  and  of  strength- 
ening the  Church  by  invigorating  the  spiritual  life 
of  its  members. 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  the  same  purpose  that 
I  sought  to  instill  a  love  for  the  old  customs  of  our 
Church  in  regard  to  preparation  for  communion. 
Private  confession  and  absolution  seemed  to  me  the 

168 


fetotg  of  9p»  %itt 


wisest  provision  for  enabling  the  pastor  to  exercise 
his  office  in  the  care  of  souls  and  the  people  to  de- 
rive the  full  benefit  of  his  ministrations.  There  is  a 
special  comfort  for  the  soul  in  the  application  of  the 
gospel  to  the  individual.  While  of  course  each  be- 
liever can  appropriate  a  public  proclam.ation  of  remis- 
sion of  sins,  the  Church  evidently  designed,  when 
she  declared  that  private  absolution  should  not  be 
abandoned,  to  furnish  a  safe-guard  against  the  dan- 
ger besetting  the  hearer  of  losing  the  blessing  by 
inattention  to  the  precious  announcement,  or  by  re- 
ferring it  to  others  instead  of  appropriating  it  to 
himself,  which  cannot  be  so  easily  done  when  the 
pastor  absolves  each  individual  separately.  But  in 
the  circumstances  at  Delaware  I  thought  the  best 
attainable  v/ould  be  a  more  careful  and  more  efficient 
use  of  the  existing  custom  of  registering  all  appli- 
cants for  communion.  I  accordingly  urged  and  in 
course  of  time  insisted  that  all  names  of  persons 
desiring  to  commune  be  given  me  prior  to  confession 
and  absolution,  and  that,  so  far  as  practicable,  each 
one  should  do  this  in  person.  Next  I  requested  and 
pleaded  that  such  application  for  communion  be 
made  by  each  person  in  such  a  way  that  if  any  one 
desired  a  private  interview  with  me  pertaining  to  the 

169 


fetotp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


spiritual  life  or  if  I  desired  it,  an  opportunity  should 
be  given.  To  this  end  I  appointed,  before  each  com 
munion,  certain  hours  during  which  this  could  be 
done  at  my  home,  and,  for  those  who  might  find 
this  too  great  an  inconvenience,  one  hour  at  the 
church  immediately  preceding  the  confessional  ser- 
vice. All  legalistic  measures  and  influences  were 
avoided.  My  purpose  was  fully  stated  and  explained, 
and  each  member  could  make  his  or  her  own  choice, 
and  was  never  treated  as  more  or  less  worthy  because 
of  the  choice  made.  About  half  the  communicants 
availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  meet  me  in 
my  study,  and  the  rest  did  not  object  to  come  one 
by  one  into  the  vestry  room  of  the  church  while  the 
others  waited.  Though  the  doors  were  left  open,  a 
few  necessary  words  could  thus  still  be  spoken  with- 
out being  heard  by  others.  My  aim  was  to  encour- 
age unburdening  of  hearts,  to  the  pastor,  with  a  view 
of  furnishing  the  help  needed,  without  subjecting  the 
persons  concerned  to  the  tortures  of  gossip  and 
heartless  criticism.  In  this  way  a  great  deal  was 
accomplished  towards  promoting  the  spiritual  life  of 
the  congregation,  and  there  were  many  who  appre- 
ciated the  work  and  fostered  it.  Of  course  a  pastor 
who  cannot  sacredly  keep  secrets   thus  imparted  to 

170 


fetPt?  ot  ^^  mu 


him,  can  never  make  such  method  a  success;  but  has 
such  a  gossiping  pastor  really  the  necessary  qualifica- 
tions for  the  holy  office? 

It  was  the  same  line  of  thought  and  feeling  that 
led  me  to  institute  a  better  discipline  in  the  congre- 
gation. I  was  not  so  ignorant  as  to  suppose  that 
error  in  doctrine  and  life  could  not  exist  in  an  organ- 
ized body  of  true  Christians;  but  I  was  learned 
enough  to  know  that  it  ought  not  to  exist  in  a  Chris- 
tian, least  of  all  in  a  Lutheran  congregation  in  which 
Christianity  appears  in  its  purest  form.  False  doc- 
trine and  unholy  life  have  no  rights  among  God's 
redeemed  people.  So  I  thought  then,  and  so  I  think 
now,  after  fifty  years  of  study  and  experience  have 
clarified  and  confirmed  my  convictions.  The  Church 
is  holy  in  its  invisible  reality,  and  this  holiness  should 
be  manifest,  as  far  as  possible,  in  the  visible  organ- 
ization of  that  holy  Church  in  the  assemblies  of 
Christians.  I  know  the  divine  command  that  we 
must  avoid  those  who  teach  false  doctrine  and  that 
we  must  reject  heretics  after  the  first  and  second  ad- 
monition, and  I  know  that  we  must  refuse  to  fellow- 
ship persons  who  impenitently  continue  to  live  in  sin 
against  the  Commandments  of  Him  who  is  alone  Lord 
in  the  Church.   Sin  must  be  put  away  from  us,  that  we 

171 


fetorp  ot  9$v  ^itt 


may  be  a  holy  people.  I  know  that  the  flesh  continues 
to  lust  against  the  Spirit,  and  that  if  we  say  we  are 
without  sin  we  deceive  ourselves.  But  sin  must  be  put 
away.  The  individual  renounces  it  when  he  becomes  a 
Christian,  and  the  Church  renounces  it  when  it  organ- 
izes as  a  communion  of  saints.  If  the  individual  will 
not  put  it  away  by  repentance,  but  claims  the  right 
to  live  in  it  as  the  world  generally  does,  the  Church 
must  put  that  individual  away  with  his  sin,  denying 
such  right,  and  refusing  to  be  partaker  of  the  sin 
and  to  incur  God's  judgment  upon  it.  On  these  prin- 
ciples we  acted,  and  the  result  was  that  we  were  pro- 
tected against  the  canker  of  many  an  error  and  the 
leaven  of  many  an  ungodliness,  which  were  either 
nipped  in  the  bud  to  the  everlasting  welfare  of  those 
immediately  concerned,  or  excluded  from  the  Church 
and  thus  rendered  powerless  to  spread  the  infection. 
This  greatly  increased  my  labor,  but  the  profiting  was 
manifest.  The  subject  of  Church  discipline  had  evi- 
dently received  little  attention  in  our  Synod  at  that 
time;  for  in  cases  of  dif^culty  I  could  get  but  little 
assistance  from  brethren  in  the  ministry.  Some  ad- 
vice that  was  given  me  would  now  seem  preposter- 
ous. 

Much   of  my  work  was  necessarily    directed   to 
172 


^totv  ot  ^^n  %iit 


the  prevention  of  conduct  and  participation  in  cus- 
toms which,  though  not  sinful  in  themselves,  I  re- 
garded as  menaces  to  the  spiritual  life,  partly  by  offer- 
ing hindrances  to  growth  in  grace,  partly  by  tending 
to  excesses  and  habits  which  naturally  lead  the  heart 
away  from  Christ.  As  in  course  of  time  my  congre- 
gation, in  its  leading  elements,  was  in  full  accord 
with  its  pastor,  we  were  often  charged  with  undue 
rigor,  insomuch  that  some  of  the  less  earnest  mem- 
bers were  prone  to  remark  that  when  they  wanted  a 
"good  time,"  they  must  go  to  another  place,  as  what 
they  wanted  was  a  sin  in  Delaware.  Just  for  such 
persons  our  practice  was  a  great  blessing,  notwith- 
standing their  misinterpretation  of  its  import;  and 
I  am  not  ashamed  now,  as  I  was  not  then,  that  a 
member  of  my  congregation  was  reported  to  have 
said  that  he  could  not  go  to  a  certain  ball  because, 
if  he  did,  the  pastor  would  be  at  his  house  next  day 
and  he  could  not  be  prepared  to  look  him  in  the 
face.  But  my  visits  to  those  who  went  to  theatrical 
performances  and  circus  shows,  to  card-parties  and 
club-frolics,  to  saloons  and  races,  and  similar  ques- 
tionable resorts,  were  far  from  being  unduly  rigor- 
ous. They  v/ere  purely  pastoral.  So  far  from  being 
disciplinary,  they  were  designed  to  prevent  the  neces- 

173 


fetocp  ot  9^v  Jiitt 


sity  of  Church  discipHne  in  the  strict  sense.  I  was 
too  much  impressed  with  the  goodness  of  God  in  res- 
cuing me  as  a  brand  from  the  burning  to  think  of 
deaHng  damnation  around  upon  erring  people  who 
were  presumably  better  than  myself.  But  just  because 
I  felt  the  need  of  kindly  warning,  if  the  case  were 
my  own,  I  sought  in  Christian  love  to  warn  others, 
though  it  should  cost  me  something.  I  find  comfort 
now  in  the  belief  that  many  a  soul  was  rescued  from 
the  wiles  of  the  devil  by  being  warned  in  time.  Also, 
not  all  would  hear  the  loving  word  of  the  Lord  and 
some  went  on  in  their  self-chosen  way  of  the  flesh. 
Of  course  then  discipline  was  exercised,  and  when 
they  would  not  submit  to  the  Master's  ways,  they 
were  lost  to  us.  God  may  have  found  them  later.  I 
do  not  know. 

Perhaps  an  example  will  best  illustrate  our  pro- 
cedure. A  member  of  the  congregation  who  had 
afforded  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  by  his  diligent 
participation  in  our  week-day  Bible  studies,  as  well 
as  by  his  diligent  attendance  upon  the  means  of  grace 
on  Sundays,  came  one  day  to  consult  me  on  a  matter 
that  deeply  affected  him.  He  informed  me  that  he 
had  been  a  Pietist  in  his  German  home  in  Wuerttem- 
berg,  but  that  only  since  he  Hved  at  Delaware  had 

174 


&t0t^  ot  9??  %itt 


he  understood  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith 
in  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world  and  experienced  the  peace  and  joy  which  faith 
in  Christ  alone  can  bring.  He  had  for  several  years 
maintained  himself  and  family  as  a  day-laborer,  and 
was  happy  in  his  home  with  his  daily  bread.  But 
in  his  fatherland  he  had  learned  the  trade  of  a  baker, 
and  now  a  good  opportunity  was  offered  to  pursue 
that  calling  with  a  prospect  of  bettering  his  condition. 
So  far  there  was  nothing  for  m,e  to  say  but  to  express 
my  approval  of  his  diligence  and  his  devotion  to  the 
truth  in  Jesus.  But  that  was  not  the  purpose  of  his 
visit.  He  told  me  that  he  came  to  ask  m^y  advice  in 
a  matter  that  perplexed  him. 

When  he  made  known  to  his  friends  his  inten- 
tion  to  establish  a  bakery,  a  number  of  them  desired 
that  he  should  sell  beer,  as  other  bakers  and  grocers 
often  did,  and  thus  not  only  add  something  to  his 
income,  but  also  enable  his  friends  to  enjoy  a  glass 
of  the  beverage  in  unobjectionable  surroundings.  He 
emphasized  especially  that  some  brethren  of  our  own 
congregation  desired  this,  as  they  would  be  glad  to 
have  a  place  to  go  for  this  purpose  without  being 
brought  into  bad  company.  He  Vv^as  not  sure  that 
it  would  be  right  to  give  his  consent  and  desired  to 


176 


&tpr»  oe  9^v  ^itt 


consult  me  about  it.  He  knew  our  position  in  regard 
to  the  saloon  business,  and  was  fully  in  accord  with 
us  in  our  endeavor  to  protect  our  congregation  from 
its  influence  for  evil.  In  reply  to  my  reference  to 
the  manifest  dangers  connected  with  it,  he  assured  me 
that  he  had  no  thought  of  keeping  a  saloon  in  the 
ordinary  sense,  that  he  designed  to  sell  no  other  than 
malt  liquors,  and  to  keep  these  only  for  the  accom- 
modation of  such  as  were  regular  patrons  of  his 
bakery.  I  showed  him  that  his  scheme  was  imprac- 
ticable, because  if  beer  were  sold  at  all  in  a  public 
place  the  discrimination  which  he  proposed  could  not 
be  made  without  giving  offence  to  some  and  thus 
hindering  the  success  of  his  bakery,  and  that  little  by 
little  concessions  would  have  to  be  made  to  custo- 
mers until  he  would  be  running  a  saloon  like  those 
already  existing,  to  which  there  was  no  need  for  add- 
ing another.  I  warned  him,  too,  that  his  Christian 
character  would  surely  suffer  if  he  carried  out  his  pro- 
ject, because  temptations  to  wrong-doing  would  mul- 
tiply, and  no  man  can  be  safe  if  he  needlessly  walks 
in  perilous  places.  He  thanked  me,  and  I  think  went 
on  his  way  with  the  sincere  intention  to  abandon  the 
project.  Later  he  came  again.  He  then  informed 
me  that  he  had  been  on  a  visit  to  some  friends  and 

176 


fetotp  ot  S$v  ^itt 


had  there  met  the  pastor  of  their  congregation;  that 
the  project  which  he  had  talked  over  with  me  had 
become  the  topic  of  conversation ;  that  the  opinion  of 
all  was  favorable  to  the  plan  which  he  had  proposed, 
the  pastor  especially  laying  stress  on  the  fact  that 
the  saloon  business  was  mostly  in  the  hands  of 
ungodly  men,  and  there  was  special  need  for  such  a 
resort  as  he  had  projected;  and  that  the  circum- 
stance had  revived  in  his  mind  the  idea  of  putting  his 
plan  into  practice.  I  tried  again  to  convince  him  that 
I  was  right,  notwithstanding  the  contrary  opinion  of 
other  Christian  people,  but  this  time  apparently  with 
less  success.  He  did  not  tell  me  what  he  would  do, 
I  still  trusted  that  he  would  do  right.  But  he  began 
to  dispense  malt  liquors  to  his  customers.  As  was 
my  custom,  I  visited  him  and  his  place  of  business, 
as  I  did  others,  and  nothing  indicated  that  he  was 
not  the  same  devoted  Christian  that  he  had  always 
been.  He  was  regular  in  his  attendance  upon  the 
means  of  grace  and  his  life  was  without  reproach. 
He  was  a  good  baker,  a  good  man,  had  chosen  a 
good  location,  and  his  business  prospered.  But  one 
day,  when  I  visited  him  and  he  was  quite  at  leisure, 
he  made  a  revelation  that  startled  me.  He  told  me 
that  what  I  had  warned  him  of  had  come  true;  that 
12  177 


fetoti?  of  9^p  Jiitt 


he  had  begun  with  dispensing  beer  to  his  friends, 
but  could  not  with  any  propriety  refuse  it  to  their 
friends;  that  the  number  of  these  friends  and  friends' 
friends  kept  constantly  increasing;  that  some  of  these 
friends  wanted  something  stronger  than  beer,  and 
that  the  reason  for  furnishing  the  latter  seemed  to 
require  the  furnishing  of  the  former;  and  that  thus 
the  saloon  business  had  become  dominant  in  his  bak- 
ery. I  do  not  think  that  I  felt  any  elation  at  the 
confessed  fulfilment  of  my  prophecy,  and  I  am  sure 
that  I  manifested  none  in  my  remarks  on  the  situa- 
tion. It  was  depressing.  But  not  only  this  was 
reported.  He  continued  by  telling  me  that  he  was  not 
happy;  that  this  family  worship  had  been  disturbed 
so  often,  that  it  was  finally  abandoned;  that  his  poor 
wife  was  deprived  of  her  daily  solace  in  the  Word 
of  the  Lord,  which  they  were  accustomed  to  read 
together  and  of  the  thanksgivings  and  petitions  which 
they  formerly  enjoyed  before  laying  their  bodies 
down  to  sleep;  that  their  children  were  no  longer 
instructed  in  the  precious  catechism,  but  ran  wild 
like  heathens;  and  that  the  peace  of  God  had  de- 
parted from  his  house.  It  was  a  painful  interview, 
and  it  was  doubly  so  when,  upon  my  assurance  that 
the  grace  of  God  is    sufficient  to  remedy  the  distress- 

178 


fetor?  ot  9^v  fiitt 


ing  condition,  if  he  would  only  turn  from  the  error 
of  his  ways  and  flee  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before 
him  in  Christ,  he  replied  that  it  was  too  late.  When 
I  appealed  to  him  to  let  the  money  involved  in  the 
matter  go  whither  it  would,  and  save  his  own  soul 
though  he  should  come  penniless  out  of  the  fire,  he 
still  maintained  that  the  entanglement  was  too  great: 
he  could  not  extricate  himself:  it  was  too  late.  He 
became  very  rich  in  the  things  of  this  world,  and 
alas!  became  very  poor  in  the  treasures  of  heaven, 
so  that  we  were  forced  to  refuse  any  further  Chris- 
tian fellowship  with  him,  because  he  would  no  longer 
submit  to  the  Master's  Word,  which  had  given  him 
so  much  comfort  and  strength  in  his  better  days. 

What  became  of  the  poor  man  afterwards  I  do 
not  know.  But  who  would  say  that  our  practice  was 
wrong  because  we  seemed  in  this  case  to  fail?  In 
other  cases  we  succeeded :  and  even  when,  as  in  the 
instance  mentioned,  we  seemed  to  fail,  our  efforts  were 
not  wholly  in  vain.  Maybe  that  truth  and  righteous- 
ness prevailed  at  last  in  this  erring  soul.  At  any  rate 
the  only  possibility  lies  in  the  grace  which  is  oft'ered 
by  the  gospel.  If  the  power  of  God  fails,  nothing  can 
help  the  poor  soul :  it  is  too  late. 

Our  treatment  of  saloonists  was  not  such  as  fan- 

m 


fetot»  oC  99V  JLitt 


atical  prohibitionists  would  commend.  We  never  pro- 
nounced the  drinking  of  a  glass  of  beer  or  wine  a  sin. 
How  could  we  in  the  Lord's  name  condemn  what  the 
Lord  has  not  condemned  ?  But  adhering  strictly  to  the 
Scriptures,  in  this  as  in  many  other  respects,  we  treated 
drunkenness  not  only  as  an  evil  to  the  individual  and 
to  society  in  the  present  world,  but  as  ruinous  to  the 
soul,  and  refused  to  tolerate  it  in  the  congregation. 
But  just  on  this  account  we  were  careful  to  watch  and 
to  warn  against  Satan's  wiles,  and  sought  to  discourage 
the  visiting  and  especially  the  keeping  of  resorts  that 
presented  temptations  to  excess.  We  therefore  pre- 
ferred to  have  no  saloon  keepers  in  our  congregation, 
and  all  my  experiences  confirmed  me  in  the  position 
which  we  had  taken.  There  were  not  wanting  appli- 
cations for  membership  on  the  part  of  such  persons, 
but  their  occupation  was  always  a  barrier  to  their 
reception.  This  was  not  because  my  people  regarded 
such  business  as  an  absolute  disqualification  for  mem- 
bership in  the  Christian  Church.  I  think  that  we  had 
all  become  of  one  mind  in  the  truth  of  the  Gospel, 
and  that  I  fully  represented  the  prevailing  sentiment 
in  my  pastoral  work.  We  desired  to  avoid  stumbling 
blocks  and  to  shut  out  temptations. 

In    one   instance   we   yielded.     A    saloon-keeper 


180 


fetors  DC  ^v  ^itz 


applied.  He  seemed  to  be  well-grounded  in  his  faith ; 
there  was  no  fault  to  be  found  with  his  life ;  he  had  a 
family  in  good  repute  for  Christian  training  and  de- 
portment. I  conferred  with  him  time  and  again.  He 
declared  himself  in  heart}^  accord  with  our  position  in 
doctrine  and  practice,  agreed  to  all  requirements  that 
I  made,  such  as  closing  his  place  without  reservations 
on  Sunday,  refusing  to  sell  or  give  any  liquors  to  known 
drunkards,  or  persons  who  already  showed  that  they 
had  been  drinking,  or  to  minors,  or  to  those  whose 
families  were  known  to  need  for  bread  every  dime  that 
was  spent  for  liquor.  My  aim  was  to  induce  him  to 
quit  the  business,  though  I  did  not  believe  and  there- 
fore could  not  show  that  such  business  is  in  its  nature 
and  therefore  of  necessity  sinful.  Our  negotiations 
had  continued  for  about  eighteen  months,  when  the 
man  told  me  that  he  yearned  for  holy  communion; 
that  he  saw  no  way  of  supporting  his  growing  family, 
if  he  quitted  the  business  into  which  he  believed  him- 
self providentially  led;  and  that  if  we  refused  still 
to  admit  him  to  communion^  for  which  he  ardently 
longed,  he  would  try  to  get  along  without  the  Church, 
and  we  might  look  to  the  final  judgment  for  our  share 
in  the  work  and  its  consequences.  We  finally  received 
him,  and  that  was  about  the  end  of  his  holiness.     He 

181 


fetorp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


had  attained  his  purpose  of  getting  the  sanction  of  the 
congregation,  but  if  he  had  all  this  time  been  playing 
the  arrant  hypocrite  he  failed  after  all;  for  though 
we  were  a  year  and  six  months  in  admitting  him,  we 
were  only  about  four  weeks  in  getting  rid  of  him 
again. 

It  is  because  of  instances  like  this  that  I  declared 
my  position  to  be  confirmed  by  my  experience.  Con- 
gregations get  along  better  without  saloon-keepers  as 
members  than  with  them,  and  I  am  sure  that  earnest 
pastors  are  spared  much  anxiety  and  labor  where  such 
people  are  not  committed  to  their  charge.  The  fact 
that  a  good  shepherd  always  rejoices  in  the  oppor- 
tunity to  care  for  souls,  whatever  labor  it  may  cost 
him,  does  not  change  my  conviction  that  in  cases  of 
doubt  it'  is  always  better  to  do  the  work  needed  before 
receiving  applicants  than  afterwards,  when  their  rights 
in  the  congregation  give  them  an  influence  among 
the  membership  that  may  prove  ruinous. 

This  is  especially  the  case  with  regard  to  secret 
societies,  from  the  baleful  influence  of  which  scarcely 
a  Christian  congregation  in  the  land  is  exempt.  Fifty 
years  ago  it  vvas  comparatively  a  new  thing  to  refuse 
them  admittance  into  the  congregation.  But  soon 
after  we  were  freed  from  entanglements  with  the  Re- 

182 


&tor^  ot  99v  ^itt 


formed  by  the  consecration  of  our  own  church  build- 
ing, we  decHned  to  accept  applicants  of  such  affiliation, 
unless  they  would  renounce  the  brotherhood  of  nature 
and  self-interest  in  favor  of  the  brotherhood  in  Christ 
by  grace  alone.  There  were  some  secretists  in  the 
congregation.  I  preached  against  the  natural  religion 
of  the  lodges  that  our  people  might  see  the  relation  in 
which  Masonry,  Odd  Fellowship,  and  kindred  asso- 
ciations stand  to  revelation  in  Christ  and  the  great 
salvation  which  the  Scriptures  proclaim  through  Him, 
and  private  opportunities  were  embraced  to  show  lodge 
men  how  lodgery  conflicts  with  Christianity. 

But  the  decision  came  before  I  was  quite  ready. 
A  member  of  our  congregation  who  had  been  a  Mason 
was  so  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of 
his  being  a  true  Christian  while  he  continued  to  be  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  that  he  renounced  all 
:onnection  with  lodgery,  and  at  a  congregational 
meeting  without  having  consulted  me  on  the  subject, 
introduced  a  resolution  closing  our  doors  against  the 
whole  system  of  secret  societyism  as  an  enemy  to  the 
truth  in  Jesus.  I  thought  the  movement  premature, 
because  I  had  not  yet  done  all  that  was  possible  to 
enlighten  my  people,  and  especially  to  convince  our 
secretists  of  their  error.     But  I  could  not  oppose  it, 

183 


fetorp  0t  9^^  %ite 


because  it  was  precisely  what  I  purposed  to  do  a  little 
later.  The  resolution  was  adopted  with  little  difficulty, 
and  all  communion  with  secretists  and  all  reception  of 
secret  society  members  ceased.  The  congregation 
had  no  further  trouble  with  the  subject.  But  of  course 
the  pastor  had.  The  secretists  of  the  congregation 
were  forced  to  a  decision.  I  knew  that  in  such  a  case 
there  was  no  hurry.  The  members  of  lodges  were 
not  pressed  to  decide  before  they  were  ready.  They 
could  not  be  admitted  to  the  Holy  Supper;  that  was 
settled.  But  our  interest  in  their  welfare  did  not 
cease  on  that  account.  I  still  tried  to  remove  the 
obstacle  to  their  communing  with  us.  As  long  as  they 
were  willing  to  hear  me,  I  was  willing  to  convince 
them  of  their  error  and  win  them  to  the  truth  revealed 
in  Holy  Scripture.  And  my  labor  was  not  in  vain  in 
the  Lord.  Of  the  seven  lodge  men  who  were  in  the 
congregation  four  left  the  lodge,  while  three  pre- 
ferred to  leave  the  Church,  though  their  families  re- 
mained with  us  and  they  attended  our  services  as 
before.  I  still  regard  it  as  a  sad  mistake  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  unhappy  lodge  question,  which  nearly 
every  pastor  is  still  called  to  face,  when  a  secretist  is 
admitted  to  the  Holy  Supper,  while  the  pastor  is  labor- 
ing to  convince  him  of  the  sin  in  which  he  is  living.     If 

184 


fetot^  ot  9^v  %itz 


earnest  work  is  done  such  treatment  can  hardly  be 
desired  by  either  of  the  parties  concerned,  and  my 
conviction  abides  that  concessions  seemingly  made  in 
charity  only  render  the  right  solution  of  the  compli- 
cated problem  more  difficult  and  in  some  cases  work 
ruin. 

A  not  unimportant  part  of  my  plan  for  pastoral 
work  was  close  attention  to  the  attendance  at  worship 
and  communion.  Although  the  congregation  gradually 
became  large,  I  did  not  find  it  difficult  to  notice  the 
absence  at  worship  of  such  members  as  were  ordinarily 
regular  attendants^  or  of  the  continued  absence  of  such 
as  were  irregular.  Such  absence  was  always  made  the 
subject  of  inquiry,  partly  because  if  the  absentees  were 
sick  or  otherwise  disabled  they  might  be  regarded  as 
brethren  who  needed  the  consolations  of  the  Gospel, 
partly  because  if  they  were  not  sick  or  disabled 
they  needed  the  pastor's  attention  on  the  ground 
of  negligence.  In  either  case  they  were  to  be 
visited  as  soon  as  possible.  In  this  way  many 
an  error  and  many  a  devious  course  was  pre- 
vented by  dealing  with  it  in  its  beginnings  and 
removing  the  canker  before  it  had  taken  root.  In 
regard  to  communion  I  kept  an  accurate  list,  alphabeti- 
cally arranged,  by  which  I  could  see  at  a  glance  if  a 


ISS 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


member  had  communed  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and 
how  often.  If  there  were  any  who  had  not  appeared 
at  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  course  of  a  year,  it  was 
my  rule  to  visit  them  and  talk  the  subject  over  with 
them.  It  was  not  an  easy  task,  because  any  urgency 
to  partake  of  the  sacrament  was  felt  to  be  of  doubtful 
expediency,  inasmuch  as  it  might  lead  to  participation 
in  a  formal  way  only  to  escape  reproach.  But  I 
deemed  it  necessary  to  rebuke  the  neglect  of  so  great 
a  privilege  and,  while  laying  no  stress  on  the  moral 
obligation,  which  might  lead  to  mere  legal  obedience, 
urged  the  need  of  the  grace  which  the  sacrament  com- 
municates for  the  preservation  and  growth  of  the 
spiritual  life,  and  the  assurance  of  salvation.  In  some 
cases  my  work  was  successful ;  in  some  cases  it  failed ; 
and  the  persons  under  treatment  who,  notwithstanding 
the  repeated  visits  during  the  year  and  repeated  in- 
struction and  pleading,  were  delinquents  still  at  the 
end  of  the  second  year,  were  then  reported  to  the 
Church.  For  this  purpose  among  others  a  regular 
meeting  was  held  at  the  beginning  of  each  year,  and 
because  of  the  work  regularly  done  it  was  called  the 
meeting  for  "house-cleaning."  It  was  expected  that 
every  case  of  unsuccessful  efforts  on  my  part  to  induce 
such  as  became  indifferent  to  avail  themselves  of  the 

186 


&t0t^  Dt  9^V  ^itt 


means  of  grace,  when  this  had  been  continued  for  two 
years,  should  be  reported  at  this  meeting  and  the 
persons  concerned  be  cited  to  appear.  If  they  refused 
to  appear  or  declared  their  intention  to  have  no  further 
connection  with  our  congregation,  they  were  noted  as 
self-excluded,  and  their  names  were  stricken  from  the 
roll.  Such  cases  were  not  numerous.  The  rule  was 
rather  that  due  diligence  in  doing  pastoral  work  re- 
sulted in  winning  back  the  careless  to  a  better  use  of 
their  privileges. 

Such  pastoral  care,  combined  with  the  discipline 
practiced  in  flagrant  sins,  not  only  by  the  grace  of  God 
rescued  many  a  soul  from  the  snares  of  the  devil,  but 
served  also  to  protect  us  against  the  growth  of  an  un- 
sympathetic element,  which  might  prove  a  menace  to 
our  work,  and  a  blemish  on  our  good  name. 

I  had  labored  in  Delaware  about  twelve  years 
before  the  establishment  of  a  parochial  school,  which 
I  deemed  necessary  for  the  right  fulfillment  of  our 
mission,  and  for  which  I  ardently  longed,  was  under- 
taken. The  difficulties  in  our  way  were  in  this  respect 
not  greater  than  they  usually  are  in  congregations  that 
have  grown  comparatively  old  without  it,  though  I 
am  firmly  convinced  that  they  were  greater  than  most 
of  our  ministers  would  encounter  now,  if  they  would 

187 


fetotp  ot  9^v  Jiiit 


enter  upon  the  work  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  with  the 
firm  conviction  of  its  necessity  for  the  future  welfare 
of  the  Church  in  general  and  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
in  particular.  My  congregation  was  not  rich,  but  we 
always  had  money  enough  to  do  what  I  could  convince 
them  to  be  the  Lord's  will,  in  whose  name  alone 
I  felt  myself  authorized  to  ask  for  money.  I  never 
feared  that  there  would  not  be  a  sufficient  number  of 
people  to  support  the  school  if  I  succeeded  in  showing 
them  that  the  Master  desires  it,  even  if  some  in  the 
congregation  doubted,  and  some  few  would  rather  not 
be  convinced.  That  was  not  my  chief  trouble.  The 
greatest  difficulty  was  one  that  happily  does  not  stand 
in  the  way  of  our  progress  now.  It  was  the  lack  of 
teachers.  I  have  in  many  cases  recommended  to 
pastors  that  they  should  themselves  teach  until  better 
arrangements  could  be  made.  Such  a  recommendation 
I  never  made  when  the  circumstances  were  such  as 
those  existing  in  my  Delaware  charge.  The  organi- 
zation of  our  work  was  such  as  fully  to  occupy  my  time 
and  task  my  strength;  and  when  by  the  blessing  of 
God  we  had  prospered  so  far  that  an  occasional  hour 
might  have  been  spared  without  direct  damage  to  our 
cause,  I  did  not  dare  to  harbor  the  thought  of  teaching 
a  school,  which  would  have  required  for  its  success 

188 


The  Rev.  M.  Loy  as  Pastor  at  Delaware,  Ohio. 


fetw^^  ot  9^v  Jtrte 


tenfold  more  than  such  an  occasional  hour,  while  even 
this  could  be  spared  only  with  doubting  mind.  Add 
to  this  my  feeling  of  incompetency  to  organize  and 
efficiently  to  conduct  such  a  school  as  was  needed  and 
I  wanted,  undertaking  the  work  myself  seemed  to  me 
out  of  the  question.  But  to  get  a  good  teacher  was 
the  difficulty  with  which  I  had  to  wrestle.  Getting  the 
children  and  getting  the  money  did  not  trouble  me 
much.  But  getting  the  teacher  did.  I  did  not  think 
it  right  to  have  one  of  the  few  who  were  then  in  the 
Ohio  Synod  called  away  from  the  places  where  they 
were  doing  a  good  work,  seeing  hov;  hard  it  would  be 
to  supply  his  place.  I  read  and  heard  of  teachers  seek- 
ing employment,  but  I  was  not  willing,  after  all  my 
toil  to  build  up  a  good  Lutheran  congregation,  to 
assume  any  risks  with  that  class  of  people.  My  only 
hope  was  to  get  a  teacher  from  the  Missourians,  with 
whom  I  was  on  good  terms  and  who  promised  to  help 
us  when  they  could,  but  they  rightly  claimed  that  their 
first  duty  was  to  their  own  congregations,  and  that  we 
m.ust  wait  until  their  own  most  urgent  needs  were 
supplied.  We  waited  long  in  vain.  Finally  help  came 
from  another  source.  A  son  of  my  dear  friend.  Rev. 
C.  Spielmann,  declared  himself  willing  to  undertake  the 
work.     We  called  Mr.  J.  H.  Spielmann,  a  young  man, 

189 


btntp  of  9pp  Jiite 


who  had  graduated  at  our  college,  and  he  came.  He 
was  of  the  same  mind  with  his  devoted  father  and 
myself,  and  we  labored  together  in  complete  harmony 
and  to  our  mutual  delight.  The  school,  notwithstand- 
ing our  imperfect  accommodations  in  the  basement  of 
the  Church,  prospered  and  grew  until  we  had  80  pupils, 
and  a  second  teacher  became  a  crying  need.  The 
second  teacher  could  not  be  found,  and  Bro.  Spielmann, 
who  had  never  intended  to  devote  his  life  to  teaching 
a  parochial  school,  was  called  away.  Then  new 
troubles  came.  From  lack  of  sufficient  teaching  force, 
the  school  was  losing  ground,  and  when  our  first 
teacher  left  us  we  could  never  regain  it.  Before  I  left 
Delaware  we  had  two  other  teachers,  one  of  whom 
lacked  intellectual  ability  to  cope  with  the  requirements, 
the  other  of  whom,  a  convert  from  the  Romish 
Church,  had  not  the  moral  equipment  for  the  place. 
The  school  was  debilitated  when  I  left  the  congregation 
and  I  was  not  astonished  to  hear  that  it  afterwards 
died  for  lack  of  a  good  teacher. 

Unexpectedly,  after  nearly  sixteen  years  of  work 
as  pastor,  the  call  came  to  me  to  accept  a  professorship 
in  Capital  University.  As  this  was  to  a  chair  in  the- 
ology, as  well  as  in  the  academic  department,  and  the 
need  especially  in  the  theological  department  of  the 


190 


&t0t»  Of  9^?  %iU 


University  was  pressing,  my  objections  and  those  of 
my  congregation  were  overcome,  and  in  March,  1865, 
I  removed  to  Columbus  and  took  charge  of  the  work 
assigned  me  there. 

But  before  continuing  the  story  of  my  labor  in 
this  field  as  professor,  in  which  the  rest  of  a  long  life 
was  to  be  spent,  some  events  which  belong  to  a  period 
of  my  pastorate  at  Delaware  should  be  narrated. 
How  it  came  about  that  I  was  chosen  for  such  an 
important  place  will  be  better  understood  when 
some  account  is  given  of  my  work  beyond  the 
limits  of  my  own  parish  and  aside  from  this.  Before 
I  entered  my  professorship  I  had  become  president 
of  our  Joint  Synod  of  Ohio,  which  necessarily  implies 
that  I  had  used  such  gifts  as  I  possessed  to  promote 
our  synodical  interests.  I  had  also  become  editor 
of  our  English  periodical,  the  Lutheran  Standard. 
Moreover  I  had  established  a  home,  and  had  the 
manifold  experiences  of  a  husband  and  father. 
These  things  require  some  notice  in  a  story  of 
my  life,  and  to  these  attention  will  be  given  in  subse- 
quent chapters,  before  giving  an  account  of  my  work 
as  professor  in  Capital  University. 


191 


CHAPTER  V. 

SYNOD. 

WHEN  I  entered  the  ministry,  no  one  called  to 
the  office  in  a  congregation  of  the  Ohio  Synod 
thought  that  all  righteousness  in  this  regard  was  ful- 
filled when  the  call  was  accepted.  I  do  not  think 
that  the  pioneers  of  our  Synod  consciously  entertained 
the  human  opinion,  that  a  minister  is  really  such  only 
when  he  receives  ordination  at  the  hands  of  other 
ministers,  who  were  in  like  manner  ordained  before 
him.  They  had  no  explicitly  Romish  views,  but  they 
had  imbibed  Romanizing  traditions  without  suspicion 
of  their  Romish  trend.  They  were  Lutherans  of 
simple  evangelical  faith,  and  if  they  erred  it  was  not 
because  they  had  a  spirit  different  from  that  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  of  old,  but  because  their  intellectual 
insight  was  defective.  ]\Iy  acquaintance  with  the  old 
fathers  of  our  Synod  only  led  me  to  respect  their 
humble  devotion  to  the  truth  revealed  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, and  even  when  I  suffered  most  at  their  hands, 
I  never  could  join  in  with  those  who  scoffed  at  their 

ignorant  Pietism  as  some  Missourians,  though  by  no 

192 


fetorp  ot  9^v  f^itt 


means  all  of  them,  did.  I  had  learned  much  from  the 
Missourian  publications,  but  by  that  merciful  Provi- 
dence which  was  to  me  so  manifest  in  all  my  poor 
life,  I  was  blessed  with  the  acquaintance  of  men,  such 
as  Wyneken  and  Schwan,  who  knew  something  of 
men  and  of  the  gospel,  and  therefore  could  distin- 
guish when  the  flesh  seemed  to  domineer  over  the 
spirit.  Even  such  men  as  Dr.  Sihler,  who  was 
thought  to  be  one  of  the  most  violent  opponents  of 
our  Ohio  Synod,  were  not  of  the  class  who  recklessly 
condemned  us.  One  night,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Mis- 
sourians  which  I  attended,  this  champion  of  Missouri- 
anism,  with  whom  I  had  before  had  interviews,  at- 
tacked our  Synod  with  the  violence  for  which  he  was 
noted  in  his  assaults  on  what  he  regarded  as  error 
in  doctrine  or  practice.  I  repHed  as  well  as  I  could 
in  defence  of  our  Synod.  But  he  seemed  to  take  no 
note  of  my  defence,  and  I  ceased  to  answer  him.  We 
had  retired,  and  I  went  to  sleep  during  his  tirade. 
Next  morning,  while  I  took  an  early  walk  towards 
the  park  before  breakfast,  he  followed  me  and,  over- 
taking me,  at  once  accosted  me  with  the  question, 
why  I  had  so  abruptly  broken  off  the  conversation 
of  the  previous  night.  He  was  an  elderly  man  and 
I  was  a  mere  stripling,  but  I  knew  the  superior  claims 
X3  193 


fetorp  of  9^v  ^itt 


of  truth  and  right  over  age,  and  honestly  repHed 
that  I  saw  the  futility  of  reasoning  against  inveterate 
prejudice,  and  therefore  had  nothing  more  to  say. 
Instead  of  getting  angry,  as  some  of  his  brethren 
might  have  done,  he  immediately  expressed  his  fear 
that  his  zeal  was  carnal  and  begged  me  to  pardon 
his  inconsiderate  extravagance.  We  generally  got 
along  well  after  that,  and  I  always  felt  that,  in  any 
question  requiring  evangelical  judgment,  he  was  a 
better  man  to  consult  than  Dr.  Walther  who,  with 
all  his  eminent  learning,  was  more  legalistically  in- 
clined and  therefore,  except  in  matters  of  erudition, 
a  less  desirable  counsellor.  But  there  were  fanatics 
among  the  Missourians,  especially  among  the  younger 
pastors,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  our  older  men,  who 
had  suffered  many  a  hardship  in  the  service  of  the 
Church,  and  had  grown  gray  in  the  service,  were  not 
disposed  to  accept  kindly  the  reckless  damnation  of 
their  work  which  was  sometimes  dealt  around,  or  to 
seat  themselves  humbly  at  the  feet  of  men  who  were 
adepts  at  finding  fault,  but  were  not  apt  to  teach.  It 
thus  came  about  that  there  was  equal  prejudice  on 
both  sides.  My  zeal,  which  was  not  in  all  cases  ac- 
cording to  knowledge  and  which  was  not  wholly  free 
from  influences  of  the  flesh,  soon  gained  for  me  the 

194 


fetors  ot  ^v  ^itz 


reputation  of  being  a  Missourian,  which  rendered  my 
position  more  difficult.  My  youth,  my  but  partial 
mastery  of  the  profound  theology  of  the  Church, 
and  the  prejudice  against  my  alleged  Missourianism, 
made  it  far  less  easy  to  carry  a  point  in  Synod  than 
it  was  in  my  congregation.  I  do  not  think  that  I 
ever  deported  myself  with  the  superciliousness  of  one 
who  thinks  that  he  knows  it  all,  or  gave  utterance 
to  my  conviction  with  the  air  of  an  upstart  re- 
former. My  shrinking  nature  and  the  native  tim- 
idity which  I  never  fully  overcame,  though  pushed 
by  duty  into  many  a  conflict,  would  in  itself  have  for- 
bidden such  a  thought,  even  if  I  had  not  had  the 
good  sense  and  the  grace  which  protect  an  upright 
soul  against  such  unwisdom.  What  I  said  and  did  I 
strove  to  do  modestly  and  quietly,  and  it  was  not 
often  that  the  flow  of  feeling  and  consequent  rush  of 
words,  which  it  was  a  hard  task  for  me  to  overcome 
even  in  the  pulpit,  led  me  into  a  gush  of  oratory  so 
inappropriate  in  a  deliberative  assembly. 

It  would  not  be  perfectly  candid  if  I  did  not 
confess  that  there  were  some  among  the  fathers  of 
our  Synod  for  whom  I  had  as  little  respect  as  I  had 
for  some  of  the  boys  among  the  Missourians,  and 
that  I  was  sometimes  provoked  to  utterances  which, 

196 


fetot^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


under  other  circumstances,  would  be  pronounced  un- 
seemly. 

While  I  regarded  most  of  the  men  who  at  that 
day,  besides  the  comparatively  younger  Pastor  Spiel- 
mann  and  Prof.  Lehmann,  were  leaders  in  our  Synod, 
as  sincerely  devoted  to  the  truth  as  the  Lutheran 
Church  confesses  it,  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  approve  the  course  which  some  of  them  were 
taking.  While  I  was  laboring  hard,  under  privations 
that  would  otherwise  have  been  unnecessary,  to  build 
up  a  soundly  Lutheran  congregation,  it  was  trying 
to  accept  rebukes  from  men  who  were  at  ease  in  Zion, 
and  whose  congregations  were  dying  from  inanition 
v/hile  they  frittered  away  their  precious  time  in  pro- 
moting secret-societyism  or  practicing  allotria  that 
brought  them  money.  If  I  sometimes  used  a  word 
in  reply  which  seemed  harsh,  who  would  blame  me 
in  such  a  case?  At  the  very  first  meeting  of  Synod 
which  I  attended  a  minister  who  was  looked  up  to  as 
one  of  the  wisest  and  most  distinguished  of  our  old 
pioneers,  preached  the  principal  serm.on.  He  showed 
what  the  Word  of  God  requires  of  us  in  regard  to 
the  practice  of  love,  how  the  Church  has  failed  in 
executing  the  Master's  will,  and  how  the  secret  or- 
ganizations of  our  land  had  been  impelled  to  take  up 

196 


fetar?  of  9^p  %iU 


the  work,  which  the  Church  had  failed  to  perform. 
He  was  a  Mason,  and  I  was  a  Lutheran.  Of  course 
I  was  indignant,  though  it  was  only  a  few  years  since 
I  had  been  a  secretist  myself.  If  the  case  occurred 
now,  since  I  have  studied  more  and  prayed  more  and 
experienced  more,  I  would  not  have  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ohio  Synod  without  a  renunciation  of  the 
Deistic  foundation  of  that  sermon  and  of  the  man 
who  preached  it,  unless  he  repented  of  the  sin  and 
made  all  possible  reparation  of  the  evil  resulting.  I 
said  nothing  in  public,  which  I  now  see  to  be  a  fault. 
In  private  I  spoke  of  it,  but  little  was  said  by  others 
and  nothing  was  done.  He  was  an  authority  in  Synod, 
and  publicly  nobody  said  anything,  and  so  the  matter 
was  passed  over  in  silence.  When  in  the  discharge  of 
a  duty  entrusted  to  me  by  Synod  I  later  met  this  man 
in  a  town  of  western  Ohio,  where  the  Masons  were 
having  a  celebration  and  he  was  to  m.ake  a  speech; 
and  upon  his  cordial  invitation  to  attend  the  public 
meeting,  I  turned  away  Vv^ith  the  remark  that  I  must 
be  about  the  Master's  business,  I  think  my  treatmient 
of  him  was  gentle,  and  he  had  no  reason  to  take 
offense  or  speak  of  me  as  a  saucy  boy.  There  were 
some  others  who  regarded  me  with  suspicion,  if  not 
with  positive  dislike.     They  had  gotten  into  ruts  out 

197 


&tor?  ot  9pp  JLitt 


of  which  it  was  humanly  impossible  to  pry  them,  and 
least  of  all  was  I  qualified  for  the  task.  Every  in- 
centive was  given  me  to  study  the  apostolic  admoni- 
tion, *'Let  no  man  despise  thy  youth,"  but  I  had  not 
the  equipment  necessary  to  wage  a  successful  war 
against  traditions  that  were  venerable  with  age,  and 
were  defended  by  men  who  had  become  venerable 
in  their  observance.  Had  it  not  been  for  such  men 
as  Pastor  Spielmann  and  Prof.  Lehmann,  my  posi- 
tion in  the  Ohio  Synod  would  probably  have  be- 
come untenable.  But  I  did  what  I  could,  and  my 
success  in  my  own  congregation,  under  God's  con- 
tinual blessing  and  my  unwearied  application  to 
study,  gave  me  ever  new  courage  to  testify  of  the 
great  grace  bestowed  upon  the  Lutheran  Church  as 
the  great  Church  of  the  Reformation,  and  to  resist 
all  unionistic  movements  tending  to  reduce  her  to  a 
pitiful  sect  among  other  sects  of  the  land.  When  I 
accordingly  argued,  in  opposition  to  the  so-called  liber- 
ality of  the  old  pioneers,  that  if  we  had  nothing 
special  to  contend  for  in  the  Lutheran  Church  for 
conscience  sake,  we  could  save  men  and  money  by 
abandoning  our  Lutheran  organization  and  joining  our 
forces  with  other  Christians  who  cared  nothing  for 
creed,  but  still  professed  to  care  for  Christianity,  the 

198 


:  :.  illmiclcnum   itC5  lllcstHclicn  Distncts  htv  Ciningclial)- 
b.   Culi)Ciicirl;Cn  Sniiok  yon  (Dliio  u.  a.  0t.  [•r«.':,.....\-t  iluma: 


^/    •  / 

"i 


.#:  1/:;// 


■i!u,il. 


L  ft:. K.J 


...'%/a,.„rr     ,.l.''  J/...^.^^,..y 


■^:.'....>      ^  U:  .u;. 


y  /  ^  ^ 


x'^^./  ^/  ^/>       ,'•■ 


{I'.Mr^.r, 


Facsimilie  of  the  LicexXse  Issued  to  A[.  Loy,  Trinity  Sunday,  1849,  at 

Lewtsburg,  Ohio.     Renewed  Until  Trinity  Sunday,  1851, 

at  New  Bremen,  Ohio.       Renewed  Until  Trinity 

Sunday,  185-2,  at  Canton,  Ohio. 


u 


©0^  ?)cutfc6c  (fi)atigclifc^^ut6aff($c  5^miftcrlum 

in  £'^i0  vml  ten  t«na(|6artcn  ©taatcn    url'unt'ct  'uuv  Ml-niKt   ^ictmit :  tag  ^crr 
Q^ii  /-!«  n  w^    "v  "  "-^*'V      tturccr  (£^«ot)al'Sctfamm(unij  tc^  gctacbtcn 
SDliniflctium?  in      ^^'^  "<  "  y"^-'*,  J^"  '  ^'*  A  «  ''^■,    (^Z  ''  <^ 
ten /9tm     xJl/i)f(>'i  .   18 //gcl^priggcptuft  wnt>  ffir  tiid;ngf»tfimttttftortctt, 
t)(»S  2init cinc^      // /*  ^  t^^ /  /?A  <,    /^  '^  fl^ ^  /v*  in  unfctn  ©cmcincti 


ys  t)ersvv.ttcn ;  wnt)  tag  it)m  tic  (Stlaiifcnig  ^m\>iw  wottm,  gii  hucd;!rtcen,  ju  prctigen,  I 

ju  taufcn  uat  ju^ntJtticljnn  ""<«  ><  ♦^  c%  t/^-t     ^  /i-^v  /-/-t/'  lyV/f  /,  nyfe.l(^/^\ 


in  te  ♦!  ©cmcine 


:.,-,3..      ,  1 


t>tJt;  n)cfc]6«  i|m  t>on  tern  bcfagtcn  9Jiini|!niu!n  otcv  i^cn  t'a»  5Seamtcr  tcfffJBcn  nt&gw 
ftttgettiefcrt  wcitcn^  ^cc^  fo,  tag  cr  o:jnc  ©cne^tni^ung  tc$  fccfastcn  CDiiniilerjumS  ctet" 
tcff"  SSjamtentfegsnaaBti'   ®«rnm«    m<$t  sctlatfw,  ai)i:|)  in  tciner  ant«n  ®tmeine 

3Cmt?-(Sefct)dfKtmic:&ten  foU,  imttag  |tc{}^|)a^  ?0]jni|?it»m  wtfce^dit,  ticf<  gcgtbtfil 

3a  tefftn  me^rew  Urfunte  ^afctn  wiri^tn  tiefc^  Bcugnjg  Hxhkt  m\%  «nf«l 
tfifittien^  Unttrfc^rift  »nt  bfpgcffigtfm  3)]inifterMf*6Jf9«^  crt^^- 


_^.^..4^.:^  ^' 


/-<iU-' 


._-3 


f  V 
.; — ^ 


■J/;.  •'^' 


■.^3^a:.p.^^ 


Facsimile  of  a  License   Issued  in  1818. 


&totp  ot  9^v  fUtt 


effect  was  horrifying.  Even  my  nearest  friends 
thought  me  an  extremist,  and  begged  that  allowance 
should  be  made  for  my  youth  and  inexperience.  I 
was  not  expelled,  probably  because  there  was  too 
much  liberality  for  that,  and  too  much  sturdy  Luth- 
eran good  sense  to  discriminate  against  Lutheranism 
in  the  practice  of  unionism.  And  the  leaven  worked. 
When  in  March,  1849,  I  accepted  the  call  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Delaware  charge,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing Trinity  week  appeared  as  an  applicant  for 
admission  to  Synod  at  the  meeting  of  the  Western 
District  of  the  Ohio  Synod  at  Lewisburg,  Ohio,  I 
was  not  yet  sufficiently  versed  in  biblical  lore  or 
Lutheran  theology  to  be  offended  at  my  treatment. 
With  a  number  of  others  I  was  examined  as  to  my 
fitness  for  the  ministry.  The  examination  was  satis- 
factory to  the  committee,  and  I  was,  with  the  others, 
recommended,  not  to  ordination,  but  to  licensure  for 
one  year.  This  was  not  designed  to  express  any 
doubt  as  to  our  qualification  for  the  office,  or  to  cur- 
tail the  rights  of  the  congregations.  It  was  simply 
in  accordance  with  a  custom,  the  wide  import  of 
which  had  probably  never  been  carefully  considered. 
Manifestly  it  was  meant  to  safeguard  our  congrega- 
tions against  strolling  preachers  and  clerical  tramps, 

199 


fetorp  Dt  9^v  Hiitt 


who  abounded  in  those  times,  and  who  have  still  not 
perished  from  the  earth. 

At  the  second  synodical  meeting  which  I  attended 
a  sort  of  biblical  defence  of  the  license  system  was 
presented,  showing  that  objections  had  been  raised 
against  it.  Its  justification  was  sought  in  the  wis- 
dom and  care  commanded  in  the  appointment  of  min- 
isters, while  the  most  important  question,  namely,  to 
whom  the  power  of  such  appointment  belongs,  was 
overlooked.  I  do  not  think  that  my  work  suffered 
materially  from  Synod's  error  in  this  regard;  for 
whatever  limitations  of  a  pastor's  power  may  theoret- 
ically lie  in  such  a  system,  and  whatever  disparage- 
ment of  the  person  called  to  the  ministry  may  be 
involved  in  its  application,  it  would  not  become  effect- 
ive so  long  as  no  clash  came  with  congregational 
rights.  It  may  be  that  some  had  lost  respect  for  me 
because  I  was  only  a  candidate,  as  some  regarded  me 
less  because  of  my  youth;  but  such  subordinate  mat- 
ters are  usually  of  little  consequence  when  a  man  has 
a  cause  to  maintain  which  asserts  its  inherent  power. 
I  went  on  with  my  work  as  the  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation which  had  called  me,  and  was  never 
troubled  by  the  thought  that,  on  some  dark  day, 
Synod  might  revoke  my  license  and  declare  my  con- 

200 


fetor?  of  95s  ^itt 


gregations  vacant.  I  suppose  that  the  fathers  in  our 
Synod  never  contemplated  the  case,  which  might  have 
occurred  with  me  as  the  principal  actor  in  the  drama, 
of  a  candidate  rendered  obnoxious  by  his  Lutheran- 
ism  and  of  a  Lutheran  congregation  deprived  of  its 
faithful  pastor  by  opponents  who  had  no  love  for 
consistent  Lutheranism.  If  my  brethren  had  refused 
to  renew  my  license  in  1850,  after  my  first  year  of 
hard  work  and  hard  fighting,  I  do  not  know  what 
would  have  resulted.  I  think  that  there  were  then 
still  some  men  in  the  congregation  who  would  not 
have  pined  away  in  grief  if  I  had  been  deposed.  A 
few  of  these  might  have  taken  the  necessary  steps  to 
counteract  the  recommendation  which  was  given  me, 
if  they  had  only  known  how  to  do  it ;  and  there  were 
a  few  of  the  prominent  men  in  Synod  who  would  not 
have  been  disinclined  to  heed  the  cries  of  these  fev/. 
Our  work  was  not  then  so  well  established  that  I 
could  offer,  as  I  did  later  when  threats  were  made  to 
appeal  a  matter  of  discipline  to  Synod,  not  only  to 
direct  the  malcontents  in  the  proper  course  to  be 
pursued,  but  to  assist  them  in  preparing  the  necessary 
papers.  This  was  done  not  in  a  scoffing  spirit,  but 
with  the  sincere  purpose  of  giving  opponents  every 
reasonable   opportunity    of   being   heard.      My    offer 

201 


&totp  ot  99?  JLitt 


was  never  accepted,  and  thus  the  double  trouble  was 
spared  me  of  formulating  a  complaint  against  my- 
self and  defending  myself  against  it.  Probably  I 
would  have  continued  to  perform  the  duties  to  which 
I  had  been  called  in  the  Delaware  charge,  even  if  my 
license  had  not  been  renewed.  The  call  was  valid, 
and  I  could  recognize  no  authority  to  invalidate  a 
call  which  I  knew  to  be  divine;  and  if  Synod  was 
ready  to  admit  that  my  ministerial  functions  v/ere 
valid  for  three  years  without  ordination,  according  to 
its  own  admission  they  would  continue  to  be  valid  for 
years  to  come.  It  was  a  pitiful  business,  that  absurd 
license  system,  and  it  soon  died  without  much  contro- 
versy as  a  practice  inconsistent  with  accepted  prin- 
ciples. 

Of  a  piece  with  the  license  system  was  the  dis- 
tinction between  the  Synod  and  the  Ministerium.  To 
the  latter  all  the  more  important  questions  pertaining 
to  doctrine  and  discipline  and  the  ministry  were  re- 
ferred as  to  a  higher  court,  in  which  only  ordained 
ministers  had  a  seat  and  vote,  and  from  which  ac- 
cordingly all  who  were  merely  licensed  candidates,  as 
well  as  all  the  lay  delegates,  were  excluded.  It  was 
therefore  only  after   I  had  been   pastor  three  years 

that  I  had  access  to  the  sessions  of  the  Ministerium. 

202 


&mv  ac  ip?  %iu 


I  do  not  remember  that  this  was  regarded  or  felt  as  a 
humiliation.  It  certainly  was  not  so  intended  by  those 
who  adopted  the  constitution,  or  rather  who  retained 
the  arrangement  to  which  the  founders  of  our  Synod 
had  previously  been  accustomed.  But  it  was  wrong 
in  principle  and  operated  injuriously  in  practice. 
Synod  had  in  1848  adopted  the  symbolical  books  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  as  its  confession, 
and  therefore  stood  pledged  to  maintain  and  defend 
the  faith  thus  confessed.  In  this  it  was  sincere,  and 
it  had  no  intention  to  adopt  or  retain  usages  known 
to  be  in  conflict  with  its  profession.  As  soon  as  it  be- 
came apparent  that  the  system  of  licensure  violated 
rights  which  belong  to  the  Christian  congregation,  it 
was  abandoned.  The  Ministerium  question  was  not 
so  easily  settled.  It  had  become  venerable,  and  the 
fathers,  some  of  whom  had  become  jealous  of  the  in- 
fluence of  the  younger  men,  were  loth  to  let  it  go. 
They  did  not  claim  that  the  common  people  had  no 
right  to  a  voice  in  questions  of  doctrine  and  of  con- 
science, nor  even  that  ministers  are  amendable  only 
to  ministers,  and  that  the  laity  would  be  usurpers  of 
authority  which  does  not  belong  to  them  if  they  pre- 
sumed to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  clergy,  whether  in 

203 


&tot^  ot  ^^  mtt 


regard  to  the  reception  of  applicants  or  the  discipline 
of  members. 

Remarks  were  made  which  implied  such  theories, 
but  they  were  not  distinctly  formulated.  The  fact  is 
that  the  subject  was  not  clear,  and  the  Ministerium 
was  defended  rather  from  veneration  for  an  old  cus- 
tom than  from  conscious  adherence  to  a  false  prin- 
ciple. Under  such  conditions  it  is  not  strange  that 
the  doctrine  of  Church  and  Ministry  became  a  burn- 
ing question  among  us.  But  it  was  the  practical  side 
that  hastened  the  abandonment  of  the  traditional 
arrangement.  When  a  session  of  the  Ministerium 
was  called,  it  was  expected  that  the  lay-delegates  and 
candidates  should  consider  themselves  dismissed  and 
should  leave  the  church,  as  was  required  of  all  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation.  It  was  always  painful 
when  one  or  the  other,  not  understanding  the  situa- 
tion, retained  his  seat.  In  some  cases  It  was  deemed 
necessary  to  request  such  innocent  intruders  to  take 
their  departure.  Sometimes  oflfence  was  taken  at 
such  apparent  rudeness  in  the  practice  of  privacy,  and 
occasionally  remarks  of  no  kindly  sort  were  made 
about  secret  meetings  of  m.en  v/ho  professed  opposi- 
tion to  all  secretism.     Now  and  then  too  there  were 

mutterings  importing  that  old  men  who  were  sent  as 

204 


(iH!flMTlo\^;-.;':Hi.;i\. 

j 

i 

1        Dao  ilniiii^krium    ^co   lUcotlidKn    Oio'v 

• 

]■  CiUi)cii£ii;"cu  i'^niioiiC  luii  €'lno  u.  a.  Bl 

i 

j     ,■       •                           y /^// ////,.' y       ^'-'^ 

1 

1 

1 

i/  '  .-   -v  ^  /  ,.-   .,.'■■".              f  :        .   .'    '. 

1 

-' '  '' "  i 
i 

.      ^~.^-;nimMii 

liaui?  Jc?iuu 

»^'!ii:i-  u;ni                                                               ,   '  ■ 

\  ■•    >-      j 

.^ni,7r^c^      /"a^^^^^      >■.   s':'  ,^  .,/ 

■,...-•• ,.,.-    . 

k 


d 


l^\\csiMiLE  OF  Ordination  Certificate  Issued  to  Rev.  M.  Loy  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Trinity  Sunday,  1852. 


&tm  ^t  s@g  %iu 


delegates  to  Synod  did  not  feel  good  over  the  invita- 
tion to  leave  when  important  matters  of  the  Church 
were  to  be  considered  only  by  ordained  ministers. 
The  opponents  of  such  special  organization  of  the 
ministry,  as  distinguished  from  the  synodical  body, 
had  the  great  advantage  of  having  the  sentiment  of 
the  lay-delegates  on  their  side.  This  made  it  a  neces- 
sary requirement  of  prudence,  as  well  as  of  Christian 
faith  and  charity,  to  guard  carefully  against  evils, 
which  might  easily  result  from  the  advocacy  of  peo- 
ple's rights.  There  was  danger,  on  the  one  hand,  of 
goading  the  people  to  a  wild  resistance  of  a  tyranny 
exercised  over  them  by  denying  them  their  divinely 
authenticated  rights,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  of 
appearing  to  the  opposition  as  mere  mountebanks, 
who  preyed  upon  the  ignorance  and  credulity  of  the 
people.  In  either  case  the  cause  of  right  would  have 
suffered.  I  do  not  think  that  any  of  the  opponents 
of  the  "Ministerium"  were  revolutionary.  For  myself, 
I  had  endured  the  candidacy,  and  gone  on  with  my 
work  at  Delaware  as  if  nothing  had  happened  at 
Synod.  And  I  went  on  with  my  share  of  the  work 
at  Synod  as  if  no  difference  had  been  made  between 
candidates  and  pastors.  As  far  as  I  can  remember 
not  the  least  effect  was  produced  upon  my  sense  of 

2f05 


fetorp  ot  9$v  ^itt 


duty  and  my  zeal  for  the  work  in  which  I  was  en- 
gaged, by  my  ordination  and  my  admission  into  the 
Ministerium.  I  was  a  minister  before,  and  nothing 
was  added,  either  in  the  objective  reality  or  in  the 
subjective  consciousness,  to  the  duties  and  obliga- 
tions of  my  call  as  pastor  of  the  Delaware  parish. 
Such  power  as  I  had  was  exerted  against  the  wrong 
to  the  Church  which  was  involved  in  the  **Minister- 
ium"  business,  but  it  was  always,  so  far  as  I  can 
remember,  with  due  respect  to  established  custom  and 
the  veneration  which  our  pioneers  had  for  a  custom 
which  had  no  root  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  Once, 
when  it  was  proposed  to  make  me  President  of  the 
Western  District,  I  peremptorily  refused  the  office 
because  I  could  not  comply  with  the  constitution 
requiring  the  calling  of  ministerial  sessions.  I  de- 
clared that  I  could  not  and  would  not  issue  such  a 
call,  and  that  ended  it.  When  an  amendment  to  the 
constitution,  promising  to  strike  out  the  clauses 
which  referred  the  most  important  work  of  synod  to 
the  "Ministerium"  and  thus  denied  to  the  laity  some 
precious  rights  of  Christians,  was  under  discussion, 
I  was  confident  of  the  support  of  the  lay-delegates  in 
the  final  vote,  even  though  the  majority  of  ministers 
should  be  against  my  contention.     My  teacher,  Pro- 

206 


&tot^  of  ^v  ^itt 


fessor  Lehmann,  who  usually  stood  as  mediator  be- 
tween the  adherents  of  old  customs  and  the  new 
Lutheran  life  which  had  come  into  our  synod,  occu- 
pied the  chair.  He  thought  that  he  saw  trouble  com- 
ing, and  concluded  that  it  would  be  best  to  relegate 
the  whole  matter  to  the  Ministerium.  He  accordingly 
so  decided.  Manifestly  the  decision  was  wrong,  and 
I  appealed,  as  I  had  a  right  to  do,  to  synod  for  a 
righteous  decision.  He  was  a  man  of  expedients, 
and  refused  to  entertain  the  appeal,  alleging  that 
synod  had  no  jurisdiction  in  a  matter  belonging  to 
the  Ministerium.  Such  proceedings  could  not  fail  to 
excite  some  feeling.  With  two  other  pastors  I  had, 
a  few  years  before,  when  the  constitution  of  synod 
was  under  revision  and  our  effort  to  expunge  the 
provisions  for  a  Ministerium  had  failed  in  our  Dis- 
trict, put  a  protest  on  record,  in  which  our  position 
was  clearly  defined  and  the  declaration  was  distinctly 
made,  that  we  could  not  consider  ourselves  bound  by 
the  objectionable  paragraphs.  Our  warfare  was  open 
and  candid,  and  no  one  had  any  ground  to  think  our 
action  revolutionary.  It  would  not  be  so  considered 
now,  and  it  was  not.  We  submitted  to  the  defeat  and 
worked  on,  fully  convinced  that  right  would  win  in 
the  end,  as   it  did;  and  my  cordial  relation  to  my 


207 


&tot^  Dt  9^^  mtt 


teacher,  who  probably  in  the  stress  was  not  conscious 
of  the  full  import  of  his  stratagem,  was  not  dissolved. 

During  these  protracted  troubles,  complicated  by 
secret  society  discussions,  a  few  ministers  left  the 
Synod;  and  some  Missourians  who  little  understood 
the  situation  and  were  unjust,  and  part  of  whom  were 
manifestly  fanatics,  kept  nagging  at  our  work  and 
our  workmen,  thus  embarrassing  the  efforts  of  those 
who  were  laboring  for  greater  consistency  in  Synod's 
practice.  Some  of  the  older  men,  whom  my  convic- 
tions compelled  me  to  oppose,  showed  themselves 
better  Christians  under  the  unjust  imputations  and 
violent  assaults  of  conceited  Missourians  than  did 
their  assailants,  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
inconsiderate  and  uncharitable  acts  of  somie  of  these 
men  did  much  to  hinder  the  more  rapid  progress  of 
the  truth  promulgated  in  the  publications  of  their 
leaders. 

The  controversy  on  the  Church  and  its  Ministry, 
of  which  the  question  concerning  licensure  and  the 
ministerium  was  a  part,  gradually  became  heated,  and 
for  a  time  threatened  the  very  existence  of  our  synod. 
No  doubt  its  importance  was  better  appreciated  among 
us,  and  became  more  exciting  because  of  these  condi- 
tions and  this  application,  thus  enlisting  the  force  of 

208 


fetot^  oC  9^V  ^itt 


habit,  and  the  reverence  for  time-honored  usage,  and 
the  feeHngs  engendered  by  violent  assaults  from  with- 
out, in  the  theological  war.  This  was  by  no  means 
a  mere  war  of  words.  It  pertained  to  a  subject  in 
which  interests  of  the  whole  Church  of  Christ  were 
involved,  and  upon  which  in  my  estimation  the  very 
right  of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation  to  exist  in  the 
world  was  dependent.  I  write  this  long  after  the  war, 
when  all  the  influence  of  party  feeling  had  passed 
away,  as  my  mature  judgment  in  a  case  that  gave  me 
much  concern.  It  may  be  that  the  struggle  would 
never  have  convulsed  our  Synod  as  it  did,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  influences  exerted  from  without.  But  that 
is  a  useless  speculation.  It  might  have  been  that  the 
Ohio  Synod,  even  after  it  had  accepted  the  Confessions 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  had  gone  on  in  its  old  ruts  and 
been  a  unionistic  corporation  unto  this  day.  I  do  not 
know  and  cannot,  as  is  the  case  in  the  General  Synod, 
tell  what  might  have  been.  What  I  know  is  that  God 
in  His  good  providence  led  our  fathers  to  accept  the 
great  Confession  of  the  Reformation  as  their  Confes- 
sion. What  instrumentalities  our  Lord  employed  to 
bring  the  word  of  truth  to  the  hearts  of  our  fathers, 
I  do  not  know.  What  I  do  know  is  that  it  was  done 
and  that  God  did  it,  whatever  the  instrumentalities 
14  209 


fetot^  of  9^V  fCitt 


may  have  been  by  which  He  accomplished  it.  The 
fact  was  that  the  synod  had  declared  itself  as  an  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  body  accepting  the  Confessions  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  as  its  own  con- 
fession. So  far  the  way  was  clear,  if  all  that  this 
involved  was  not  clear  to  all  the  members  of  Synod. 
I  was  theologically  educated  under  Professor 
Lehmann,  whose  learning  was  sometimes  at  fault  and 
whose  theological  dicta  were  not  always  indisputa- 
ble. Perhaps  in  some  respects  my  reading  had  led  me 
beyond  his  scope,  as  with  all  his  powerful  intellect 
he  was  not  disposed  to  extend  his  studies  beyond  the 
immediate  requirements  of  his  calling.  In  partial 
justification  of  his  habit  it  may  be  said  that  his  duties 
as  prefossor  and  pastor  left  him  little  time  for  study. 
But  the  time  was  one  that  tried  men's  souls.  My  stu- 
dies led  me  into  a  conviction  which  he  did  not  share. 
He  was  not  a  man  to  antagonize  another  member  of 
synod  with  a  perfectly  clear  declaration  of  war.  We 
never  so  met  each  other  with  clanging  shield  and 
steel.  He  had  studied  theology,  and  was  Lutheran 
in  his  faith  and  thinking,  and  was  content  to  be 
Lutheran  in  his  faith  and  thinking,  and  was  content 
to  be  Lutheran  if  others  were  not,  ever  ready  to  con- 
fess his  Lutheran  faith,  whatever  others  might  choose 

210 


&t0t^  OC  9^V  ^itt 


to  confess  or  deny.    I  do  not  think  that  it  would  have 
worried  him  if  I  had  leaned  towards  General  Synod- 
ism  as  might  from  my  antecedenets  have  been  ex- 
pected.    He  did  not,  and  that  settled  it.     He  would 
not  have  been  my  enemy  on  that  account.     I  leaned 
toward  Missourianism,  as  did  our  mutual  friend  Rev. 
Spielmann.    He  did  not,  but  never  dreamed  of  being 
an  enemy  of  either  on  that  account.    Thus  I  grew  to 
be  an  opponent  of  my  teacher  on  many  a  point,  with- 
out  disturbing  our   friendly    relations.      He   always 
regarded  these  differences  as  lying  within  the  limits 
of    our   Lutheran    Confession    and    not    involving    a 
breach  of  our  fraternal  relations.     He  had  great  re- 
sponsibilities  resting   upon  him,   and   whilst  he   was 
heroic    in    expedients    to    prevent    clashing,    he    was 
extremely  cautious  in  choosing  his  course,  and  often 
moved  so  slowly  that  it  seemed  to  many  that  he  did 
not  move  at  all.    In  the  estimation  of  many  members 
of  synod  he  was    therefore  of  the  old  regime,    and 
sacrificed  his  power  of  leadership  to  the  interests  of 
peace.    I  had  had  no  part  in  getting  the  Ohio  Synod 
into  the  hierarchical  and  yet  unionistic  rut  which  was 
in  its  weakness,  and  had  no   motive   in  feelings  of 
reverence    for    established    customs    to    sacrifice    the 
Lutheran  convictions  which  had  become  a  power  in 

211 


fetot^  ot  9^v  mtt 


my  soul.  I  was  not  a  conservative  in  that  limited 
sense,  but  became  more  and  more,  as  I  studied  more 
and  thought  more  and  prayed  more,  a  conservative  in 
regard  to  the  old  Lutheran  faith  and  practice.  I 
therefore  did  not  move  as  slowly  as  my  teacher  in 
the  endeavor  to  bring  about  a  better  state  of  things 
in  the  Ohio  Synod,  which  would  at  the  same  time  be 
in  better  accord  with  the  confessional  position  already 
assumed.  We  always  came  together  at  last,  but  my 
teacher  and  friend,  who  did  much  towards  keeping 
me  within  proper  bounds,  was  not  of  a  mind  to  take 
the  initiative,  and  was  therefore  not  always  in  the 
lead  when  Synod  made  a  move  forward. 

The  Synodical  work  to  which  reference  has  thus 
far  been  made  pertained  to  the  Western  District,  to 
which  my  congregation  belonged  and  of  which  I 
was  a  member.  It  may  be  necessary  to  explain,  that 
the  Ohio  Synod  is  divided  into  different  Districts,  and 
that  each  of  these  has  the  decision  in  regard  to  the 
reception  of  members,  who  thus  become  members  of 
the  Joint  Synod.  To  this  are  referred  all  subjects 
pertaining  to  the  interests  of  all,  and  in  this  all  the 
members  have  a  voice.  Accordingly  it  was  in  the  Joint 
Synod  that  the  doctrinal  questions  troubling  the  Dis- 

212 


fetot^  ot  m  ^^tt 


tricts  had  to  be  settled.    And  there  my  chief  work  was 

done. 

Soon  after  my  acceptance  of  the  pastorate  at 
Delaware  the  project  of  enlarging  our  educational 
work,  by  establishing  a  college  in  connection  with  our 
Seminary,  was  assuming  material  form.  We  needed 
it  and  all  approved  it.  Even  the  big  notions  that  were 
embodying  themselves  in  the  project  did  not  strike 
me  as  absurd.  I  was  too  much  of  a  big-hearted  boy 
for  that.  My  imagination,  which  was  never  grand 
or  glowing,  although  I  som.etimes  indulged  myself  in 
writing  rhymes,  led  me  to  hope  great  things  in  the 
not  wholly  illusory  ways  suggested.  The  object  in 
view  commended  itself  to  my  judgment  as  it  did  to 
the  judgment  of  older  and  more  experienced  men,  and 
Capital  University  cam.e  into  the  world  with  banners 
and  trumpet.  Even  Professor  Lehmann,  who  never 
allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  enthusiasm, 
was  warm  in  his  welcome  of  the  improvement  in  our 
educational  facilities,  though  as  usual  his  wise  coun- 
sel was  for  moderation  and  caution,  which  was  by 
no  means  needless.  The  conception  was  too  big  for 
the  conditions:  the  plan  of  the  structure  was  out  of 
proportion  to  the  grounds  on  which  it  was  to  be 
erected.     I  did  not  see  that,  and  others  did  not  see 

213 


fbtotv  ot  9^v  ^iit 


it.  My  old  teacher  saw  it  and  doubted,  but  was  moved 
on  by  the  stream.  Unquestionably  Providence  had 
opened  the  way  for  our  Ohio  Synod  to  do  a  glorious 
work  in  the  cause  of  education  for  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Unhappily  the  main  feature  was  too  often 
left  in  the  back-ground,  that  God  had  opened  a  way 
for  promoting  Christian  education  in  the  interest  of 
the  truth  restored  in  the  Lutheran  Reformation.  I 
am  confident  that  none  of  the  leaders  in  the  movement 
had  the  remotest  thought  of  harboring  or  promoting 
the  idea  of  regenerating  mankind  by  the  light  of 
science  and  philosophy  and  literature.  I  was  not  one 
of  the  leaders,  but  I  think  that  I  understood  them,  and 
believe  that  my  suspicion  of  such  underlying  motives 
would  wrong  even  the  less  earnest  advocates  of  the 
principles  for  which  the  Ohio  Synod  had  taken  its 
stand.  All  that  can  justly  be  said  is  that  a  part  of 
the  zeal  displayed  was  without  knowledge.  The 
leading  men  wanted  a  Christian  College  devoted  to 
the  interests  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and 
in  this  I  was  heartily  in  accord  with  them.  They 
looked  around  for  the  proper  man  to  organize  and 
conduct  the  new  institution,  and  as  they  were  always 
too  modest  to  assume  that  such  a  man  could  be  found 
among    themselves,    they    were    constrained    to    look 

214 


&t0t?  Of  ^v  "^itt 


beyond  the  bounds  of  our  own  synod.  There  was  no 
one  in  the  West  of  sufficient  culture,  who  was  in  har- 
mony with  us,  to  think  of  finding  the  right  man 
there.  By  necessity  their  attention  was  turned  to  the 
East,  and  there  all  eyes  were  directed  to  Dr.  Rey- 
nolds of  Gettysburg.  He  had  been  professor  there  in 
the  chief  college  of  the  General  Synod,  and  had  years 
of  experience  in  the  work  of  teaching.  He  had 
attained  some  eminence  as  a  writer,  and  had  a  wide 
reputation  for  learning.  His  connection  with  the 
General  Synod  was  no  obstacle;  for  without  any 
thought  of  coming  to  Columbus,  he  had  begun  a  war- 
fare against  the  lax  system  of  doctrine  and  practice 
which  prevailed  in  his  own  ecclesiastical  household. 
To  carry  on  this  contest  he  had  established  the  ''Evan- 
gelical Review,"  which  was  published  at  his  home  in 
Gettysburg,  and  which  subjected  him  to  much  adverse 
criticism.  This  Review  had  been  read  among  us,  and 
caused  much  delight  by  the  fact  that  such  a  thor- 
oughly equipped  witness  had  come  forward  in  de- 
fense of  the  truth  for  which  we  were  contending.  He 
seemed  to  be  the  man  for  the  place  which  we  de- 
sired to  fill.  He  was  called,  and  he  came.  He  was 
installed  as   President,   the  school   was  opened  in  a 

building  on   Town   Street,   his   brother-in-law,   Pro- 

215 


&tot?  ot  ^v  fiitt 


fessor  Essick,  who  was  represented  as  in  full  har- 
mony with  him,  was  called  as  Professor  of  Latin,  a 
young  man  of  good  parts  who  had  the  promise  of 
becoming  a  first-class  teacher  of  mathematics,  but 
who  died  before  his  mark  was  made,  was  added  to 
the  faculty,  and  later  my  old  Harrisburg  friend,  Daniel 
Worley,  was  called  to  take  the  place  of  the  departed 
Professor  of  Mathematics.  The  school  was  thus  suf- 
ficiently equipped,  and  the  building  near  Goodale  Park 
was  soon  ready  to  receive  it.  The  President  was 
inaugurated  and  the  new  building  was  dedicated  with 
much  effort  to  enlist  popular  favor.  One  of  the  most 
eminent  men  of  the  country,  who  was  far  from  being 
a  Lutheran  and  probably  had  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  as  Lutheranism  in  our  land,  made  an  English 
speech,  which  had  little  to  do  with  our  purpose,  and 
Dr.  Stohlmann  of  New  York,  delivered  an  address 
to  engage  the  Germans  in  our  cause.  The  whole  busi- 
ness seemed  to  me  a  failure,  especially  as  I  was  dis- 
couraged by  the  President's  lack  of  skill  in  managing 
the  public  functions.  But  so  far  as  I  remember  I  said 
nothing. 

The  work  went  on  prosperously  for  a  while,  but  a 
new  trouble  had  been  introduced  into  our  Synod.    Dr. 

Reynolds  had  grown  up  in  a  different  atmosphere  and 

216 


&tot»  ot  aps  %itt 


with  other  suroundings.  He  was  a  Lutheran  of  the 
kind  still  found  among  the  more  conservative  men  of 
the  General  Synod,  but  he  had  a  different  spirit  from 
that  which  pervaded  our  people.  This  prevented  com- 
plete cordiality  from  the  start ;  and  as  move  after  move 
was  made  that  was  not  to  our  liking,  doubts  soon  arose 
whereunto  this  would  grow.  Too  much  stress  was 
laid  on  winning  the  favor  of  citizens  who  cared  noth- 
ing for  the  Lutheran  Church,  but  who  were  interested 
in  general  education  and  whose  influence  it  was  de- 
sired to  utilize  in  behalf  of  the  school.  This  as  well 
as  the  inability  of  the  faculty,  with  the  exception  of 
Prof.  Lehmann,  who  held  the  chair  of  German,  to 
converse  readily  in  the  German  language,  led  the  Pres- 
ident and  Prof.  Essick  to  move  almost  exclusively 
among  English  speaking  people,  especially  as  their 
families  were  English  and  could  otherwise  have  little 
enjoyment  of  social  life.  Moreover,  both  from  incli- 
nation and  policy,  they  were  desirous  of  bringing  the 
Ohio  Synod  into  the  General  Synod,  and  as  at  that 
time  there  was  a  strong  movement  elsewhere  in  that 
direction  and  influences  were  brought  to  bear  upon  us 
by  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  with  which  we 
had  correspondence  on  the  subject  of  a  Liturgy,  they 

had  good   opportunity  to  make  known  their  desire. 

217 


fetor?  ot  Q^s  %iU 


Even  in  the  congregational  affairs  they  managed  to 
make  some  innovations  to  which  some  did  not  take 
kindly,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  they  did  not  want 
to  follow  what  was  called  the  fashion. 

Little  by  little  the  men  from  the  East  who  had 
been  called  to  organize  and  manage  the  new  college, 
lost  their  influence,  and  before  the  University  was 
fairly  started  in  the  fine  building  on  North  High  Street, 
in  which,  too,  not  a  little  of  the  useful  had  been  sac- 
rificed to  architectural  display,  a  rupture  was  immi- 
nent. The  portion  of  our  Synod  that,  like  myself,  re- 
garded the  interests  of  the  Church  as  paramount,  used 
all  fair  means  to  protect  these  interests  against  any 
encroachments,  even  if  these  came  from  sources  pro- 
fessedly operative  in  the  honored  cause  of  education, 
on  the  life  and  work  of  the  Lutheran  organization. 
Our  leader  was  Prof.  Lehmann,  who  was  never  ag- 
gressive, never  disposed  to  take  the  initiative  in  any 
progressive  movement,  but  always  conservative  and 
always  alert.  It  was  largely  owing  to  his  wise  caution 
that  our  Seminary  property  was  safe-guarded  against 
any  failure  that  might  attach  to  our  University  project, 
and  it  is  still  a  wonder  to  me  that  he  ever  consented 
to  an  organization  of  the  institution  under  the  man- 
agement of  a  board  composed  largely  of  persons  who 

218 


fetot»  of  9p»  %itt 


did  not  even  profess  to  have  any  interest  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  which  our  Synod  designed  it  to  serve. 
But  somehow  the  mistake  was  made.  Men  who  did 
not  understand  us  or  our  conditions  were  called  to  con- 
duct the  institution,  and  a  directorate  was  appointed, 
many  of  whom  did  not  understand  them  or  us.  And 
trouble  came.  Ostensibly  it  was  the  language  ques- 
tion, really  it  was  the  Lutheran  question  that  brought 
it  about. 

With  the  inception  of  the  University  movement 
and  the  beginning  of  the  work  I  had  no  responsible 
connection.  I  was  then  only  a  candidate,  and  therefore 
not  in  a  position  to  have  a  voice  in  it.  But  I  was  con- 
sulted in  the  matter  and  heartily  approved  the  project. 
In  my  frequent  visits  to  friends  in  Columbus,  nearness 
to  whom  I  regarded  as  one  of  my  chief  advantages, 
we  often  talked  about  it.  My  heart  was  fully  enlisted 
in  the  undertaking.  My  acceptance  of  the  agency  to 
secure  money  for  the  endowment  of  the  Presidency 
and  the  German  profesorship,  evinces  my  profound 
interest  in  the  work.  It  was  no  small  sacrifice  to  leave 
a  work  in  Delaware  which  was  dear  to  my  heart,  and 
this  just  at  a  time  when  its  success  was  about  to  be 
crowned  by  the  building  of  a  church  that  we  could 
call  our  own,  and  to  travel  from  congregation  to  con- 


219 


fetor?  0t  9^v  ^itt 


gregation,  preaching  everywhere  and  soHciting  funds 
for  a  work  which  only  the  intelhgent  could  appreciate. 
But  I  was  unmarried,  and  therefore  could  leave  home 
more  easily,  than  men  of  family,  and  a  man  whom  I 
could  trust  was  ready  to  act  as  my  vicar  in  the  con- 
gregation during  my  absence.  So  I  started  off  in  the 
summer  of  1853,  leaving  my  work  at  home  in  the  care 
of  Rev.  P.  Eirich.  I  think  I  may  truly  say  that  I  en- 
tered upon  my  new  mission  in  faith  and  hope  and 
charity.  No  doubt  an  older  and  more  experienced 
man  could  better  have  carried  out  my  plan.  I  desired 
to  do  some  good  among  the  people  as  well  as  to  secure 
some  money  for  our  general  work,  and  I  therefore 
always  preached  the  Word  and  only  afterwards  solic- 
ited subscriptions.  My  work  also  gave  me  large  oppor- 
tunities in  conversation  with  our  pastors  to  suggest  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  which  actuated  me  and  which 
might  be  helpful  to  them.  For  six  months  I  continued 
this  work,  and  it  was  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  A  com- 
paratively large  sum  was  subscribed,  and  I  think  some 
good  v/as  done  in  addition  to  these  subscriptions. 
As  I  look  back  upon  it  now,  the  mistakes  which  I  made 
were  more  in  the  accounts  which  I  published  of  my 
rambles  among  the  congregations  than  of  my  work 
there.    I  was  sometimes  impressed  with  the  humor  of 


220 


fetot?  of  9p^  %iU 


situations  rather  than  with  their  unchurchly  features, 

and  wrote  in  a  mood  of  gayety  rather  than  of  sadness, 

and  of  course,  opinions  differed  about  the  propriety  of 

some  of  my  observations.     After  six  months  of  toil 

and  not  infrequently  of  bodily  suffering,  I  returned  to 

my  charge,  which  had  been  well  cared  for  by  Rev. 

Eirich,  without  regrets  for  the  temporary  absence.    I 

had  accomplished  as  much  for  the  improvement  of  our 

finances  as  the  conditions  warranted,  and  I  think  that 

my  half-year's  intercourse  with  our  people  helped  a 

little  to  support  the  claims  of  our  Lutheran  Church 

upon  their  loyalty  and  beneficence,  and  continued  to 

bear  fruit  in  after  years,  while  the  experience  which  I 

gathered  was  probably  more  than  compensation  for 

my   loss    in   suspending    my    daily    intercourse    with 

books. 

Meantime  the  agitation  in  Synod  about  the  spirit 

and  management  of  our  college  continued,  and  became 

increasingly  serious.     The  members  of  our   English 

District  grew  loud  in  their  complaints  that  equal  rights 

were  not  accorded  them  with  the  Germans.    There  was 

not  even  a  semblance  of  reason  for  this,  as  even  more 

than  their  share  of  representation  was  given  them  in 

the  boards.     But  the  English  District  was  compara- 

tivelv  small,  and  there  were  three  German  Districts, 

221 


fetot?  of  9?s  %iU 


at  least  two  of  which  were  larger  than  the  English, 
and  their  aggregate  membership  was  such  as  to  leave 
the  English  District  in  a  small  minority,  notwithstand- 
ing the  care  taken  to  give  them  as  large  a  represen- 
tation as  fairness  to  the  other  Districts  admitted.  But 
it  was  not  the  language  question  in  itself  that  formed 
the  subject  of  contention.  There  were  many  pastors 
of  mixed  congregations  in  the  German  Districts,  who, 
like  myself,  were  rather  to  be  classed  with  the  EngHsh 
District  than  the  German,  if  mere  facility  in  the  use  of 
either  language  were  considered,  and  many  of  the 
delegates  sent  to  our  German  Districts  always  spoke 
in  English.  That  was  really  not  the  subject  of  con- 
tention, but  only  an  incident.  I  would  regard  it  as  an 
injustice  to  Dr.  Reynolds  and  his  friends,  if  it  were 
maintained  that  he  proposed  to  make  our  Univer- 
sity, including  the  Seminary,  entirely  English.  I 
would  not  say  that  even  of  Prof.  Essick,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  English,  while  President  Reynolds  be- 
longed to  the  Western  District.  It  was  a  curious 
alignment  of  forces  when  the  crisis  came.  Those  who 
were  intent  upon  maintaining  our  confessional  posi- 
tion and  had  no  sympathy  with  any  movement  looking 
to  a  union  with  the  General  Synod,  or  anything  tend- 
ing that  way,  even  though  they  were  not  a  unit  in  the 


222 


&tot^  of  9^^  JLitt 


questions  of  church  practice  otherwise  occupying  the 
attention  of  Synod,  were  generally  regarded  as  oppo- 
nents of  the  Reynolds  management;  the  more  liberal 
element  that  was  inclined  to  unionism,  was  the  party 
supporting  him.  As  the  latter  party  was  mainly  in 
the  English  District,  and  as  the  work  of  Dr.  Reynolds 
and  his  friends  was  usually  done  through  the  medium 
of  the  English  language  and  his  labors  were  mainly 
directed  to  gain  favor  among  the  English  people  and 
solicit  the  interest  of  English  Synods,  while  in  the  insti- 
tution itself  his  influence  was  principally  directed 
toward  the  advancement  of  English  interests,  it  natur- 
ally came  to  pass  that  the  opposing  parties  were  called 
the  German  and  the  English.  The  English  District 
took  up  the  matter  and  brought  its  complaint  before 
Joint  Synod.  It  was  a  complaint  without  substance. 
No  overt  action  or  wrong-doing  was  indicated,  and  no 
charge  with  specifications  was  made.  But  some  of  the 
English  brethren  were  dissatisfied  and  became  disaf- 
fected. I  could  see  no  cause  for  this  save  their  failure 
to  get  others  to  see  things  as  they  saw  them  and  feel 
about  the  course  of  events  as  they  felt.  Their  griev- 
ance really  v/as,  that  they  were  in  a  hopeless  minority. 
Synod  tried  to  appease  them,  but  failed,  as  in  the  na- 
ture of  things  it  must  fail.    There  was  no  help  for  the 

223 


fetot^  ot  99?  mu 


fact  that  the  disaffected  party  was  a  small  minority. 
Dr.  Reynolds  and  Prof.  Essick  resigned.  That  relieved 
them  of  the  trouble,  but  it  only  rendered  their  special 
adherents  more  determined  in  their  hostility  to  the 
action  of  Joint  Synod.  Finally  the  latter  body,  at  its 
meeting  in  1854,  resolved  to  send  a  committee  to  the 
next  meeting  of  the  English  District  to  reason  with 
the  brethren  there  and  endeavor  to  pacify  them.  All 
indications  were  that  love's  labor  would  be  lost.  Rum- 
ors had  already  been  circulated  in  that  District  that 
our  institutions  were  on  the  road  to  ruin,  that  the  per- 
sons managing  them  and  engaged  as  teachers  were 
incompetent,  and  that  any  further  effort  to  maintain 
them  would  be  useless.  A  spirit  of  revolt  had  shown 
itself  in  a  wild  protest  against  the  action  of  Synod  at 
this  session  pertaining  to  the  existing  difficulties,  in 
which  it  was  stated  as  a  grievance  that  the  party  rep- 
resented by  Dr.  Reynolds  were  not  admitted  to  promi- 
nent places  in  our  institutions,  and  as  another  that 
Joint  Synod  had  shown  no  disposition  to  annul  its 
resolutions  regarding  secret  societies.  It  looked  very 
much  as  if  the  opposition  would  be  appeased  only  by 
the  surrender  on  our  part.  Nevertheless  Synod,  in 
the  exercise  of  Christian  charity,  resolved,  in  order  to 
prevent  a  rupture,  to  leave  nothing  undone  that  could 


224 


fetors  ot  9p^  %iU 


be  done  without  a  sacrifice  of  Christian  principle.  The 
committee  was  appointed,  and  Prof.  Lehmann  and  my- 
self were  chosen  for  the  unpleasant  work.  My  old 
teacher  had  come  to  be  a  standing  member  of  all  com- 
mittees entrusted  with  difficult  and  disagreeable  work, 
and  I  was  fast  becoming  a  standing  second.  Perhaps  in 
one  respect  it  was  unwise  to  select  him  in  this  case,  as 
he,  with  his  usual  alertness,  had  been  the  main  force  in 
safe-guarding  our  work  against  liberalistic  and  union- 
istic  encroachments,  although,  with  his  usual  caution, 
he  had  probably  never  led  any  movement  in  opposition 
to  the  Reynolds  regime ;  and  when  the  latter  had  failed 
and  a  new  arrangement  was  made,  he,  as  the  Seminary 
Professor  before  the  establishment  of  our  College  and 
the  chief  member  of  the  remaining  Faculty  after  the 
resignation  of  the  new  regime,  was  chiefly  blamed  for 
the  change.  He  was  a  persecuted  man,  and  the  charges 
of  incompetency,  hurled  right  and  left,  were  concen- 
trated upon  him.  Nothing  could  better  display  the 
noble  character  of  this  devoted  man  than  his  consist- 
ently quiet  conduct  under  such  trials.  Perhaps  he  saw 
that  under  the  circumstances  it  would  have  been  wiser 
to  select  another  man  for  the  difficult  work,  but  he  did 
not  demur.  My  condition  was  such  that  there  w^  no 
reason  why  I  should  be  a  person  to  whom  the  English 
15  32§" 


&t0t^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


District  would  object.  I  was  born  in  America,  spoke 
English  even  in  preference  to  German,  and  was  con- 
firmed in  a  church  belonging  to  the  General  Synod. 
In  some  of  the  troubles  then  agitating  the  Ohio  Synod, 
I  was  not  in  harmony  with  Prof.  Lehmann.  There 
was  no  reason  apparent  to  me  why  I  should  decline  to 
serve  on  the  committee,  as  in  the  questions  involved 
we  were  of  one  mind.  The  English  District  met  at 
Wooster  in  1855,  only  about  six  months  after  our  ap- 
pointment. We  were  there,  but  the  antipathy,  perhaps 
it  would  be  in  exact  accord  with  truth  to  say  the  bit- 
terness, against  our  Synod  had  reached  such  an  ex- 
treme that  we  could  not  even  get  a  hearing.  We  ac- 
complished nothing,  because  we  were  not  even  allowed 
to  speak.  Only  a  few  members  remained  loyal  to  the 
Ohio  Synod  and  dissented  from  the  revolutionary  pro- 
ceedings, when,  in  pursuance  of  its  plan,  the  District 
resolved  to  go  over  to  the  General  Synod  and  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  us.  The  impression  I  received 
has  always  seemed  to  me  well  summarized  in  my  col- 
league's remark,  when  I  referred  to  his  well-worn 
school  trousers  as  hardly  respectable  for  such  an  occa- 
sion, that  he  had  brought  with  him  a  better  pair,  but 
thought  these  good  enough  for  such  a  crowd. 

Our  College,  ■  crippled  by  these  unhappy  occur- 
226 


&t0t^  ot  95?  %iU 


rences,  was  in  a  precarious  condition.  Our  income  was 
not  sufficient  to  warrant  the  calling  of  other  men  to  fill 
the  vacancies  at  a  sufficient  salary  to  insure  a  liveli- 
hood, and  arrangements  had  to  be  made  to  tide  over 
the  period  of  distress.  As  Prof.  Lehmann  and  Prof. 
Worley,  who  still  remained  of  the  old  Faculty,  were 
willing  to  go  on  with  the  work,  with  little  regard  to 
salary,  and  Brother  Spielmann  reluctantly  consented 
to  accept  the  Presidency  in  the  interim,  I  offered  to 
assist  for  a  while  in  the  teaching  of  such  subjects  as 
I  thought  I  had  sufficiently  mastered.  The  Univer- 
sity had  given  me  the  honorary  title  of  A.  M.  and  I 
had  done  enough  literary  work  to  feel  assured  that, 
though  it  was  a  time  when  any  blundering  would  be 
severely  criticised,  I  could  render  some  acceptable  ser- 
vice in  the  trying  period,  until  better  and  more  perma- 
nent arangements  could  be  made.  Thus  in  addition 
to  my  work  at  Delaware  I  agreed  to  spend  a  few  days 
each  week  at  our  school,  teaching  rhetoric  and  other 
English  branches,  and  continuing  the  burdensome  labor 
for  about  a  year.  Thus  amid  great  difficulties  of  vari- 
ous sorts  the  institution  was  kept  afloat  on  a  troubled 
sea,  and  in  His  own  good  time  our  Lord,  who  was 
always  with  us  and  in  whom  we  trusted,  commanded 

the  angry  waves  to  be  still. 

227 


fetors  Dt  ^v  E(te 


But  Synod's  time  of  trouble  was  not  past  when 
our  University  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck  which 
threatened  it.  I  was  a  member  of  the  Board  when  the 
rupture  came,  and  continued  to  be  a  member  until 
I  was  called  to  a  professorship  and  entered  upon  my 
work  at  Columbus  in  1865,  and  I  know  how  our  souls 
were  tried  as  only  members  of  the  Board  could  know 
it.  Matters  were  in  bad  shape  every  way.  Not  only 
had  enemies  endeavored  to  excite  prejudice  against 
us  in  the  city  as  narrow-minded  foreigners  and  bigoted 
Lutherans,  but  our  finances  were  in  almost  inextri- 
cable confusion.  Our  former  President,  who  never  had 
more  money  than  he  needed  to  carry  on  the  work, 
had  some  unbusiness-like  understanding  with  the 
Treasurer,  the  result  of  which  was  such  that,  after 
the  President  was  gone,  the  accounts  could  not  be 
satisfactorily  explained.  No  reflection  was  cast  upon 
the  honesty  of  either,  but  the  matter  was  embarrass- 
ing. The  Seminary  had  some  endowment  funds,  but 
somehow  these  had  become  so  tied  up  that  they  were 
practically  useless.  Notwithstanding  Prof.  Lehmann's 
great  caution  even  in  financial  affairs,  that  part  of 
our  work  was  loosely  conducted,  and  I  am  not  quite 
sure  that  even  now,  with  all  our  sad  experiences,  our 
monies  are  fully  secured  in  a  way  that  would  satisfy 


fetotp  ot  9^v  %itt 


cautious  business  men.  I  may  say  in  passing  that  my 
reflections  as  well  as  my  experience  have  led  me  to 
the  conviction,  that  hoarding  money  is  an  evil,  and  that 
Christians,  whether  as  individuals  or  corporations, 
should  live  in  the  daily  exercise  of  their  faith  that  God 
will  provide,  and  thus  be  led  each  day  to  pray  earn- 
estly for  their  daily  bread.  I  was  therefore  opposed 
not  only  to  secret  societies,  which  in  the  best  case  only 
seem  to  usurp  God's  prerogative  of  providing  for  His 
people  without  regard  to  His  own  revealed  plan  of 
faith  in  Christ  as  embracing  all  things  necessary  for 
time  and  eternity,  but  to  all  efforts  and  societies,  secret 
or  open,  that  virtually  constitute  a  hum.an  usurpation 
of  divine  Providence.  So  I  still  think,  and  the  more 
my  knowledge  extends  and  my  experience  enlarges, 
the  more  damnable,  from  a  Christian  point  of  view, 
seem  to  me  the  human  schemes,  always  originating  in 
the  flesh,  to  provide  for  man's  v/elfare  otherwise  than 
God,  who  alone  knows  v/hat  is  needed,  has  provided. 
I  think  that  no  sentimental  appeals  or  arguments  of 
human  wisdom,  which  in  its  carnal  root  is  always  and 
necessarily  opposed  to  the  wisdom  of  God,  can  ever 
change  these  convictions  as  long  as  I  remain  a  child 
of  God  which,  trusting  in  the  grace  of  Christ  which 
has   saved  me  with  a   great   salvation,   shall  be   for 

229 


fetot?  ot  9$v  fiitt 


ever.  Many  a  heartburn  and  many  a  nonplussed  de- 
liberation, and  many  a  sleepless  night  would  have  been 
spared  our  burdened  Board  of  Directors,  if  the  money 
which  was  contributed  by  our  people  could  have  been 
used,  in  the  time  of  its  trouble,  for  the  support  of  its 
work,  as  the  contributors  designed  that  it  should  be. 
In  my  poverty  I  had  subscribed  and  with  much  self- 
denial  had  paid  money  towards  the  endowment  of  the 
presidency:  how  could  I  fail  to  feel,  when  in  our 
dire  distress  one-fifth  of  that  sum  would  have  provided 
the  necessaries  of  life,  at  least  for  a  week,  to  our  pro- 
fessors, and  we  dared  not  touch  it.  Prof.  Lehmann 
was  inured  to  hardships  and  never  complained;  in- 
deed he  had  least  reason  to  complain,  as  he  had  a  large 
congregation  which  was  well  able  to  support  him. 
Bro.  Spielmann  knew  how  to  make  five  dollars  go  a 
great  way,  and  he  had  Hved  before  he  was  made 
President,  and  could  live  still,  though  he  got  little; 
but  Prof.  Worley  and  the  two  others  who  were  em- 
ployed as  teachers  had  no  income  but  that  which  the 
University  supplied.  But  God  always  helped  us.  Our 
worry  was  great,  but  it  was  needless.  Looking  back 
upon  it  now,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  cared  too  much 
and  trusted  too  little  and  that  we  worried  too  much 

and  prayed  too  little.     But  the  care  of  the  institution 

230 


&t0t»  DC  ^V  ^itt 


was  laid  upon  us,  and  as  God  ordinarily  works  through 
human  means,  we  could  not  as  Christian  men  abandon 
the  work  under  the  plea  that  it  was  God's  work  and 
He  could  manage  it.  We  were  His  servants  and  saw 
the  need  of  doing  what  we  could,  and  saw  also  the 
unfaithfulness  implied  in  any  such  thought  as  that  of 
running  away  when  the  conflict  came.  That  would 
have  meant  a  disgraceful  surrender  to  the  foe.  We 
therefore  labored  on  under  many  embarrassments  and 
discouragements,  and  even  in  the  darkest  days  refused 
to  entertain  the  thought  of  failure.  The  idea  of  doing 
great  things  gradually  faded  from  the  minds  of  those 
who  had  entertained  it,  and  the  purpose  to  do  the 
Lord's  will,  though  it  should  be  through  evil  report, 
continually  waxed  stronger ;  and  the  Board  gradually 
became  reconciled  to  the  day  of  small  things,  which 
naturally  as  well  in  the  court  of  reason  as  in  that  of 
faith,  should  have  been  in  the  beginning,  was  now 
upon  us.  The  beautiful  bubble  blown  by  human  wis- 
dom had  burst,  but  the  will  of  the  Lord  remained 
the  same,  and  His  disciples  had  the  grace  to  follow 
it  through  the  valley  of  humiliation,  which  was  the 
way  of  ultimate  success. 

It  was  a  hard  road  for  us  to  travel,  but  I  never 

regretted  the  sacrifice  which  it  cost  to  make  Capital 

231 


fetorp  ot  9^v  fiitt 


University  what  it  is  now,  and  what  I  am  sure  God 
designed  to  make  it.  My  prayer  now  is  that  God  will 
move  the  hearts  of  my  brethren  in  the  present  genera- 
tion to  go  on  in  the  same  course  of  contention  for 
His  truth,  as  confessed  in  the  great  Reformation,  that 
our  sacrifices  may  not  prove  to  have  been  in  vain. 
By  the  secession  of  our  English  District  we  were 
rid  of  the  party  which  was  not  in  harmony  with  the 
spirit  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Outwardly  we  suffered 
much  by  the  apostasy,  but  inwardly  we  gained  much 
more  than  we  had  lost.  But  not  all  the  opponents 
of  the  more  consistent  Lutheranism  which  had  come 
into  our  Synod  were  jmembers  of  that  District.  A 
liberalistic  element  still  existed  among  us.  Even  the 
Mason,  Rev.  A.  Henkel,  notwithstanding  our  warfare 
against  Masonic  Deism  and  humanitarianism  that 
recognized  no  need  of  grace  for  the  exercise  of  true 
charity,  continued  to  be  a  protesting  member  of  our 
Synod.  Some  of  the  pioneers  who  were  still  with  us, 
and  among  whom  he  was  recognized  as  a  leader, 
sympathized  with  him  and  took  his  part.  A  member 
of  the  faculty  of  our  University,  my  old  friend  who 
had  helped  me  to  get  a  start  in  the  comprehension  of 
the  Greek  language  and  who  had  been  called  to  the 
chair   of   Mathematics,   but   had   not  gone   with   Dr. 

232 


mot^  0f  ^v  ^itt 


Reynolds  when  the  crash  came,  became  the  leader  of 
the  opposition.  He  was  a  man  to  whom  I  was  warmly- 
attached  as  a  personal  friend  in  my  youth,  and  whose 
genial  disposition  always  attracted  me.  He  was  an 
old  and  congenial  friend,  from  whom  all  my  natural 
inclinations  forbade  me  to  part.  But  he  went  wrong, 
and  I  could  not  go  with  him.  While  he  always  pro- 
fessed to  be  of  one  mind  with  us  in  our  opposition 
to  secret  societies,  he  became  the  special  advocate  of 
Pastor  Henkel  in  his  warfare  against  the  Synod. 

When  the  English  District  turned  its  back  upon 
us  and  went  over  to  the  Unionistic  General  Synod, 
we  still  had  a  comparatively  large  number  of  congre- 
gations that  were  predominantly  English,  and  the 
question  of  forming  a  new  English  District  was  soon 
agitated  and  decided  in  the  affirmative.  In  1857  a 
new  English  District  was  organized.  It  was  soon 
apparent  that  our  opponents  flocked  together  there 
under  the  leadership  of  Prof.  Worley,  who  was  a  good 
teacher  of  Mathematics,  and  had  all  the  shrewdness 
that  would  have  made  a  good  lawyer,  but  who  had  no 
deep  understanding  of  the  righteousness  which  is  by 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of  the  liberty  which  this 
brings.  Nearly  all  the  pioneers,  although  they  were 
predominantly  German,  entered  the  new  District.    It 

233 


fetot^  Df  9$v  ^itt 


was   from  the   start  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  dis- 
affected of  our  Synod. 

Of  course  new  troubles  came,  and  it  need  hardly 
be  stated  that  I  was  involved  in  their  toils.  The  con- 
flict about  the  Church  and  ministry,  which  had  not 
been  forgotten  in  the  contention  about  other  matters, 
but  rather  contributed  to  the  alignment  of  our  forces 
and  to  its  sharpness,  continued  with  little  abatement, 
though  ever  approaching  nearer  a  satisfactory  solu- 
tion of  the  problem  before  us.  The  positions  of  influ- 
ence were  held  by  men  who  were  not  favorable  to 
my  contention,  as  our  German  organ  was  edited  by 
the  conservative  Prof.  Lehmann  and  the  English  by 
the  radical  Prof.  Worley.  But  before  I  was  called  to 
Columbus,  without  any  aspirations  or  machinations  of 
mine,  I  had  become  President  of  the  Joint  Synod  in 
i860  and  continued  in  that  oflice  from  year  to  year, 
and  had  become  editor  of  the  Standard  in  1864.  This 
afforded  me  no  little  advantage  in  the  promotion  of 
the  cause  to  which  I  was  devoted.  However  another 
part  of  my  story  should  be  told  before  I  proceed 
further  in  this  line. 


234 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOME. 

THERE  was  no  other  choice  for  me,  when  I  took 
charge  as  a  young  man  at  Delaware,  but  to 
live  as  a  boarder  among  strangers.  My  income  was 
not  sufficient  to  justify  even  the  thought  of  taking  a 
room  at  one  of  the  hotels,  and  I  had  no  desire  to 
do  this  even  if  I  had  been  supplied  with  means.  It 
may  be  a  debatable  question  whether  an  unmarried 
pastor  should  seek  a  home  in  a  family  belonging  to 
his  congregation.  It  was  not  with  me,  and  my  ex- 
perience did  not  change  my  opinion.  In  the  first  three 
months  I  found  comfortable  accommodations  with  a 
family  at  the  edge  of  town,  but  afterwards  accepted 
the  offer  of  a  well-to-do  farmer  to  give  me  a  furnished 
room  with  boarding  at  rates  so  reasonable  that  I 
could  save  a  portion  of  my  little  salary  for  the  pur- 
chase of  books.  It  was  three  miles  from  town,  but 
I  was  a  good  walker  and  did  not  lay  much  stress  on 
the  inconvenience.  The  front  room  on  the  lower  floor 
was  given  me,  where  I  could  be  alone  with  my  God 
and  my  books,  and  which  was  easy  of  access  to  people 

235 


fbtot^  nt  9^v  ^itt 


who  desired  to  see  me.  The  farmer  had  but  one  child 
and  she  was  married  and  lived  in  an  adjoining  house, 
so  that  there  were  no  children  to  disturb  me.  I  loved 
the  country  and  was  delighted  with  my  situation. 

Of  course  there  were  some  draw-backs.  The 
walk  to  town  was  no  hardship  to  me.  That  much  daily 
exercise  was  desirable  on  sanitary  grounds.  But  the 
members  of  my  congregation  did  not  all  live  in  town, 
and  when  the  homes  which  I  thought  it  needful  to 
visit  were  miles  away  in  an  opposite  direction,  it  was 
not  so  easy  to  reach  them.  Moreover,  what  was  no 
trouble  to  me  was  a  trouble  to  many  of  my  parish- 
ioners. I  was  too  far  away  when  they  desired  to  con- 
sult m.e;  it  was  too  difficult  to  call  me  when  they 
wanted  me,  as  the  telephone  was  not  then  known. 
Every  two  weeks  I  had  the  other  part  of  my  charge 
to  visit,  and  sometimes  also  pastoral  duties  made  visits 
there  necessary  in  the  interval.  For  such  work  I  was 
compelled  to  hire  a  horse.  This  made  my  place  of 
residence  an  unquestionable  inconvenience.  Part  of 
this  difficulty  was  overcome  by  my  purchase  of  a 
horse.  Since  my  boyhood's  misfortune  in  hauling 
bricks  at  Harrisburg,  I  had  no  inclination  to  have  any- 
thing further  to  do  with  horses.  But  the  necessity 
was  laid  upon  me  of  getting  to  the  church  at  Prospect, 

236 


^mv  pt  ^^  Hilt 


and  later  to  that  near  Norton,  and  I  knew  of  no  way 
but  that  of  hiring  a  horse  and  riding  thither.  Mine 
were  kindly  people,  if  their  kindness  did  not  take  the 
form  of  providing  for  my  transportation,  and  I  never 
heard  of  their  laughing  at  my  riding  or  impeding  my 
work  by  their  ridicule.  I  did  not  know  much  about 
horseback  riding,  but  I  could  learn.  No  doubt  I  was 
shamefully  timorous  in  my  first  efforts.  I  still  remem- 
ber how,  when  I  was  to  ride  between  a  noisy  threshing 
machine  and  a  river  embankment  and  my  horse  shied, 
I  appealed  to  one  of  the  threshers  to  lead  my  horse 
past  the  machine,  and  received  the  answer  that  I 
should  go  on  and  the  horse  would  not  be  such  a  fool 
as  to  plunge  to  his  death  in  the  river.  My  little  learn- 
ing in  zoology  had  never  reached  that  far.  I  sup- 
posed that  my  horse,  frightened  by  the  clatter  of  the 
machine,  would  be  fool  enough  to  plunge  with  his 
rider  over  the  embankment.  I  used  my  whip,  and  the 
horse  passed  by  in  perfect  safety.  It  was  my  stupidity, 
not  that  of  the  horse,  which  made  me  so  cowardly. 
But  I  could  learn,  and  never  was  coward  enough  to 
shrink  from  duty  when  I  was  sure  that  the  obstacles, 
real  or  imaginery,  were  in  the  path  where  duty  led. 
I  needed  a  horse  and  I  purchased  one  to  supply  the 
need.    A  member  of  the  Prospect  congregation  had  a 

287 


fetors  oe  9^v  fiitt 


colt  that  he  could  spare,  and  as  he  was  aware  of  my 
need  proposed  to  sell  it  to  me  at  a  price  that  all  who 
knew  anything  of  the  matter  considered  very  low.  As 
he  was  not  in  immediate  need  of  the  money,  he  offered 
to  wait  for  it  until  I  should  find  it  convenient  to  pay. 
My  host,  whose  charges  for  lodging  and  boarding  were 
already  merely  nominal,  offered  to  board  the  horse 
without  additional  charge.  I  purchased  it,  and  so  was 
better  equipped  for  my  work. 

It  was  a  peculiar  animal  that  I  had  bought.  She 
was  of  good  stock,  and  the  young  people  had  used  her 
for  racing  purposes.  She  was  three  years  old  and  full 
of  life,  but  gentle  of  disposition.  I  brought  her  home 
and  used  her,  and  according  to  agreement  made  with 
my  host,  attended  to  her  wants.  This  too  I  had  to 
learn,  but  the  instruction  of  an  old  farmer  was  ade- 
quate to  the  enlightenment  of  my  ignorance.  It  re- 
quired much  experience  to  manage  such  a  spirited 
beast,  but  I  persevered  and  became  an  expert  in  horse- 
manship who  had  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  among  the 
masters.  My  ten  years'  experience  with  "Bonny"  con- 
vinced me  that  I  had  one  of  the  best  horses  in  the 
country,  and  that  I  could  compete  with  any  rider  of 
horses  that  reared  and  kicked  and  plunged,  but  that 


288 


fetors  ot  9^^  JLitt 


were  withal  kindly.     Bonny  never  hurt  me,  though 
she  was  generally  pronounced  vicious  and  unsafe. 

But  my  possession  of  a  horse  did  not  make  it 
easier  for  my  people  to  consult  me  at  my  country 
home.  The  matter  came  to  a  crisis  when  I  was 
attacked  by  a  serious  form  of  dysentery.  The  physi- 
cian pronounced  my  case  critical.  The  people  with 
whom  I  boarded  had  the  impression  that  my  disease 
was  contagious,  and  although  the  good  lady  of  the 
house  furnished  me  with  all  that  was  necessary,  she 
as  well  as  her  husband  avoided  all  intercourse  with 
me  that  they  thought  unnecessary.  My  physician 
thought  that  I  was  not  receiving  due  attention  and  so 
reported  to  a  member  of  my  congregation.  I  suppose 
the  stubbornness  of  the  disease,  which  persistently 
refused  to  yield  to  his  treatment,  led  him  to  such  a 
course.  Certainly  I  did  not  receive  such  nursing  as 
is  given  at  hospitals,  and  probably  if  I  had  had  better 
care  my  system  would  have  responded  better  to  his 
medicines.  But  there  was  no  hospital  at  Delaware, 
and  flux  is  often  difficult  to  overcome.  It  is  a  dis- 
ease, moreover,  which  in  those  days  not  only  induced 
people  as  much  as  possible  to  shun  contact  with  the 
patient,  but  also  induced  modest  and  shrinkingly  sen- 
sitive   patients   to   shun   company.     As   I    still   had 

239 


&tor^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


strength  enough,  when  my  room  was  supplied  with 
all  that  was  needed  and  everything  made  easy  of 
access,  to  help  myself,  I  was  glad  to  be  left  most  of 
the  time  alone.  My  room  was  kept  in  a  reasonably 
sanitary  condition,  and  I  was  content.  But  as  the 
physician  deemed  more  attention  requisite  the  officers 
of  the  congregation  took  measures  to  secure  it,  and 
one  evening  two  brethren  came  to  wait  upon  me.  It 
was  more  of  an  embarrassment  than  a  comfort  to 
me,  and  they  became  convinced  that  I  was  right  in 
not  desiring  their  constant  presence,  seeing  that  they 
could  do  nothing  to  relieve  me,  that  in  an  emer- 
gency the  people  of  the  house  would  respond  to  my 
call,  and  that  if  matters  became  worse  and  the  need 
really  came,  I  could  have  them  notified.  The  need, 
as  I  conceived  it,  did  not  come,  though  the  disease 
continued  to  harass  me  for  five  or  six  weeks,  with 
intervals  of  improvement  and  relapse,  and  for  many 
weeks  more  in  the  emaciated  debilitation  which  re- 
sulted. I  had  faced  the  prospect  of  death  before  and 
was  not  frightened.  God  had  always  dealt  with  me  in 
superabundant  mercy,  and  it  seemed  to  me  then,  and  it 
seems  to  me  now  in  even  more  exalted  form,  that  He 
meant  to  deal  with  me  graciously  beyond  all  I  could 
ask  or  think.     By  His  grace  I  was  as  little  afraid  of 

240 


&tDt?  Of  9^^  JLitt 


work  as  I  v/as  of  death,  and  I  accordingly  went  to 
work  when  physicians,  many  of  whom  know  so  deplor- 
ably little  of  God's  government  of  the  universe  in 
which  they  live,  pronounced  it  death  to  undertake  it. 
Once,  at  a  somewhat  later  period,  when  I  was  pros- 
trated by  an  acute  attack  of  stomach  trouble  and  suf- 
fered intense  pain,  I  told  my  physician  on  Saturday 
that  it  was  my  purpose  to  preach  on  the  morrow,  he 
not  only  sought  to  dissuade  me  from  such  an  irra- 
tional dream,  but  finally  warned  me  that  in  his  delib- 
erate judgment  to-morrow  would  end  my  life  if  I  per- 
sisted in  my  folly.  I  persisted  in  what  seemed  to  me 
wisdom,  preached  to  my  congi  egation,  did  some  good 
and  felt  good  over  it,  and  got  well.  Once,  still  later, 
when  in  1853  I  was  acting  as  agent  for  Capital  Uni- 
versity, my  appointments  were  made  at  a  place  where 
one  of  our  pioneers  and  one  of  my  school-mates  had 
adjoining  charges,  and  both  lived  in  the  same  town, 
I  took  sick  of  a  fever  after  preaching  in  my  school- 
mate's charge.  On  my  sick-bed  at  his  house  I  heard 
that  the  older  pastor  had  uttered  his  complaint  that 
we  young  men  had  banded  together  and  that  my 
professed  inability  to  fill  the  appointment  in  his  con- 
gregation, which  was  next  in  order,  confirmed  his  sus- 
picion that  we  cared  nothing  for  the  fathers  but  desired 
16  241 


fetotp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


and  designed  to  crowd  them  out.  I  cancelled  my  post- 
ponement of  the  appointment,  sent  information  to  the 
pastor  that  I  would  be  there,  arose  from  my  bed  of 
sickness,  and  preached  and  returned  to  my  bed.  I 
did  not  die,  as  physicians  might  have  predicted,  and 
the  only  evil  result  experienced  was  the  fear  that  in 
my  fever  I  may  have  said  something  that  was  not  in 
exact  accord  with  my  text.  As  far  as  I  can  remember 
my  long  conflict  with  dysentery  caused  the  largest 
interruption  of  my  work  during  the  whole  time  of 
my  ministry.  But  as  far  as  it  was  physically  possi- 
ble, I  even  then  continued  my  labors  at  intervals, 
once  even  attending  and  preaching  at  a  funeral  in 
that  time  of  sickness,  though  missing  five  Sundays  of 
regular  service.  That  funeral  might  have  ended  in 
the  funeral  of  the  preacher,  but  it  did  not.  I  seemed 
a  candidate  for  death  when  I  first  entered  the  pulpit 
at  Delaware,  and  my  congregation  was  not  surprised 
when  I  appeared  again  on  the  pulpit  with  a  sicklier 
look  than  I  had  worn  during  the  years  past.  My  peo- 
ple had  become  accustomed  to  my  bodily  weakness, 
and  had  learned  to  appreciate  the  power  of  will  that 
went  far  towards  concealing  it. 

The  inconvenience  of  my  living  in  the  country, 

delightful  as  this  was  to  me,  and  conducive  to  study 

242 


fetor?  ot  9^?  %itt 


for  the  benefit  of  my  people  as  it  was,  thus  became 
more  manifest.  Taking  a  wife  and  estabHshing  a 
home  of  my  own  in  town  would  have  been  a  natural 
suggestion.  A  dear  friend  of  mine,  who  also  became 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  often  discussed  this  subject 
with  me.  He  was  determined  to  marry  as  soon  as  he 
saw  any  prospects  of  supporting  a  family,  however 
humbly,  and  maintained  that  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
could  do  his  work  better  in  every  way  if  he  is  a  mar- 
ried man.  I  could  not  deny  that  in  many  respects 
he  was  right,  but  influenced  by  my  passion  for  books 
and  the  advantages  of  privacy  for  the  pursuit  of  stu- 
dies, as  well  as  by  some  consideration  of  pastoral  pru- 
dence, I  was  long  in  doubt. 

An  opportunity  offered  to  secure  a  boarding  place 
in  town.  This  dispelled  my  doubt.  After  living  two 
years  in  the  country,  it  seemed  a  little  difficult  to 
adapt  myself  to  the  limitations  imposed  by  city  life, 
but  it  had  its  compensations,  and  I  was  soon  at  home 
again  in  my  new  quarters.  I  had  a  good  room  with 
a  pleasant  Christian  family,  and  all  the  privileges 
that  I  desired,  and  as  there  was  a  stable  on  the  lot 
for  my  "Bonny,"  I  thought  myself  well  fixed  again. 

And  so  I  undoubtedly  was.  My  income  had  in- 
creased sufficiently  to  meet  the  additional  expense.    I 

243 


ibtotv  Ot  9B^  %itt 


was  near  the  church,  which  was  a  great  convenience, 
especially  for  meetings  in  the  evening,  was  in  the 
center  of  the  congregation  and  thus  of  easier  access 
to  all  the  members,  and  could  save  some  valuable 
tim^e  in  making  pastoral  visits.  I  do  not  reckon  the 
social  features  of  town  life  as  a  great  advantage.  The 
greater  freedom  and  quiet  of  the  country  was  better 
both  for  health  and  for  study.  For  society  outside 
of  the  church  I  cared  nothing,  finding  all  that  I  needed 
and  all  that  I  desired,  so  far  as  the  gratification  of 
social  instincts  was  concerned,  in  connection  with  my 
pastoral  work.  I  did  not  seek  relaxation  in  places  of 
amusement,  not  only  because  they  were  little  to  my 
taste,  but  also  because  they  seemed  to  me  mostly 
improper  resorts  for  a  pastor,  who  had  indeed  the 
same  liberty  as  any  other  Christian,  but  who  must, 
because  of  the  greater  influence  of  his  example,  feel 
bound  to  use  it  with  greater  circumspection.  Occa- 
sionally I  heard  a  public  lecture  or  a  concert,  but 
always  was  careful  not  to  go  where  my  example 
might  mislead  the  unwary.  Shows  of  all  sorts  I 
avoided,  and  was  never  enticed  into  sanctioning  them 
by  the  vain  pretense  that  they  were  in  the  service  of 
the  church  or  of  charity.  Busy  as  I  was  among  my 
own  people  and  such  as  desired  to  join  them,  to  others 

244 


&t0t^  Of  9?^  %itt 


I  probably  appeared  to  be  living  the  life  of  a  recluse. 
My  pleasant  study  and  my  books  were  dearer  to  me 
than  street-corner  discussions  and  drawing-room  gos- 
sip. 

But  after  several  years  of  life  in  this  pleasant 
room  and  pleasant  town  in  the  house  of  a  family  that 
was  congenial  and  never  failed  in  efforts  to  give  me 
a  pleasant  home,  thoughts  of  establishing  a  home  of 
my  own  became  more  and  more  urgent.  At  first  it 
was  a  mere  suggestion  that  I  could  ''better  myself," 
and  gradually  my  old  opinion  that  a  pastor  could  do 
better  work  in  celibacy  was  undetermined.  My  expe- 
rience had  not  disproved  it.  But  nature  asserted  itself, 
and  I  resolved  to  marry  a  wife  and  set  up  a  home  of 
my  own.  My  hostess,  to  whom  it  was  necessary  to 
reveal  my  thought,  because  it  affected  her  arrange- 
ments in  the  household,  encouraged  my  thought.  I 
was  now  25  years  old,  and  it  was  not  too  early  to 
marry.  I  was  not  in  any  way  entangled  in  previous 
alliances.  In  that  respect  I  was  perfectly  a  free  man 
when  I  came  to  Delaware  and  remained  perfectly 
free  until  the  time  when  the  resolution  was  formed  to 
seek  a  wife.  I  was  not  unsocial  in  my  nature,  and 
was  never  averse  to  association  with  ladies.  As  a 
mere  boy  I  had  formed  friends  among  them  at  Harri^- 

m 


fetorp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


burg;  and  many  evidences  were  given  me  that  my 
company  was  always  acceptable.  More  than  that,  to 
my  great  surprise  a  number  of  incidents  showed  that 
I  was  a  favorite  in  the  social  circle  in  which  I  moved. 
At  a  social  gathering  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and 
witty  of  the  company  answered  yes  to  the  question 
whether  she  would  marry  me,  and  one  of  the  company 
who  was  somewhat  versed  in  law  declared  that  we 
were  wedded.  Neither  she  nor  I  was  ready  for  such 
a  verdict,  and  we  all  resented  it.  But  it  was  she,  a 
worthy  and  witty  lady,  who  kept  up  a  correspondence 
with  me  even  until  I  became  pastor  at  Delaware. 
Then  it  ceased,  because  I  had  no  intention  to  marry; 
and  I  had  no  blame.  During  my  student  life  at  Co- 
lumbus I  was  often  in  the  company  of  ladies,  though 
I  am  not  aware  that  I  sought  it  beyond  the  require- 
ments of  duty  to  my  church  and  its  work  and  asso- 
ciations. But  sexes  seek  companionship,  and  events 
occurred  in  such  association  which  were  not  free  from 
the  influence  of  sex.  A  daughter  of  one  of  my  bene- 
factors, at  whose  house  I  was  always  welcome  and 
where  I  often  visited  in  my  vacations,  and  where  I 
received  many  a  comfort  during  the  weary  days  of 
my  paralysis,  was  especially  intent  on  supplying  my 
wants,  and  once  intimated  that  she  would  be  glad  to 


246 


&totv  of  a^^  JLitt 


share  my  fortunes  for  all  time,  and,  when  I  pointed 
to  my  condition,  she  declared  that  she  could  wait.  I 
was  not  in  a  condition  to  encourage  any  hopes,  but 
her  kindness  to  the  invalid  student  continued  una- 
bated. 

Upon  a  visit  to  Harrisburg  in  1852,  when  I 
preached  to  the  congregation  in  which  I  was  confirmed 
and  received  some  flattering  commendations,  the 
younger  sister  of  a  lady  whom  I  had  formerly  met 
and  admired,  but  even  more  attractive  in  person  and 
wit,  was  in  some  way  brought  much  into  my  com- 
pany, which  I  am  sure  that  I  enjoyed  as  much  as 
she.  But  I  had  no  thought  of  securing  a  wife,  and 
never  left  on  her  such  an  impression.  On  many  an 
occasion,  at  Synods  and  other  gatherings,  I  noticed 
that  especial  care  was  taken  to  bring  me  into  com- 
pany with  girls  of  a  marriageable  age.  I  think  that 
I  always  deported  myself  as  a  Christian  gentleman, 
but  never  subjected  myself  to  the  charge  of  unfaith- 
fulness to  any  lady,  though  it  is  possible  that  I  some- 
times violated  the  rules  of  an  etiquette  that  I  did  not 
understand.  When  the  conviction  settled  itself  upon 
my  mind  that  I  should  take  the  serious  step  of  marry- 
ing a  wife,  I  was  therefore  free  from  all  trammels, 
and  could  make  my  choice  without  any  fears  of  vio- 


247 


fetot^  Dt  9^v  ^itt 


lating  previous  engagements.  During  the  years  of 
my  life  as  pastor  at  Delaware  I  had  not,  so  far  as  I 
knew,  given  any  one  either  inside  or  outside  the  pale 
of  the  church,  the  least  intimation  that  I  desired  a 
wife,  least  of  all  that  this  or  that  particular  person 
was  desired.  There  were  young  ladies  of  my  con- 
gregation, and  a  few  others  with  whom  I  became 
casually  acquainted,  who  may  have  thought  of  such 
a  thing  as  marriage  and  made  me  a  conspicuous  per- 
son in  such  thoughts,  but  I  was  not  aware  of  it,  if 
such  was  the  fact.  I  moved  without  embarrassment 
in  families  where  there  were  eligible  daughters,  and 
I  conversed  with  them  freely  as  catechumens  and 
communicants,  but  never  otherwise  than  as  pastor,  or 
at  most  as  friend,  unless  occasional  walks  with  them, 
as  with  their  parents,  were  to  be  regarded  as  excep- 
tions. I  did  sometimes  like  to  take  strolls  through  the 
lanes  and  woods  of  the  country  homes  of  my  parish- 
ioners, and  to  take  walks  in  the  evening  time  to  the 
sulphur  springs  in  the  college  campus  at  Delaware 
and  enjoy  fresh  draughts  of  the  sparkling  water;  and 
it  would  be  as  untrue  as  it  would  be  unnatural  to  say 
that  these  strolls  and  walks  were  less  pleasant  because 
there  were  ladies  in  the  company,  or  because  ladies 

alone,  especially  young  ladies  alone,  which  w^as  of  rare 

248 


&t0t^  oe  ^^  mu 


occurrence  and  never  otherwise  than  accidental, 
formed  the  company.  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge 
I  had  never  given  any  girl  the  least  cause  to  suspect 
that  I  desired  to  win  her  for  my  wife. 

This  is  not  meant  as  a  declaration  that  I  had 
never  thought  of  such  a  thing.  I  did  sometimes 
think  of  it,  and  when  I  seriously  thought  of  taking  a 
wife  my  mind  was  not  a  perfect  blank  as  regards  eli- 
gible persons.  I  was  in  love  with  nobody ;  I  had  been 
drawn  into  no  entangling  alliances,  I  had  consciously 
done  nothing  that  could  reasonably  lead  to  painful 
disappointments:  I  was  entirely  untrammeled  in 
making  a  choice,  and  had  a  large  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances from  which  to  make  it. 

The  large  number  of  friends  that  I  had  made, 
among  whom  there  were  many  young  ladies  well 
qualified  for  wifehood,  might  seem  to  have  rendered 
such  a  choice  difficult.  It  did  not.  There  was  in  my 
first  class  of  catechumens  a  girl  whom  I  had  parti- 
cularly admired  for  her  unassuming  piety  and  modest 
ways,  as  well  as  for  her  aptness  to  learn.  She  was 
beautiful  withal,  though  a  maiden  of  only  14  summers. 
I  had  not  forgotten  her  in  the  years  that  had  inter- 
vened. She  was  still  a  regular  communicant  in  my 
congregation,  and  as  such  I  had  frequent  occasion  to 


249 


feitorp  Dt  9^v  ^itt 


meet  her  as  I  met  other  members  of  the  church.  Her 
parents  were  among  the  best  and  most  influential  of 
these,  and  their  children  were  an  honor  to  their  par- 
ents, all  of  them  heartily  devoted  to  our  work.  As 
they  lived  on  a  farm  five  miles  away  from  town  and 
I  had  thought  of  establishing  a  branch  congregation 
in  that  neighborhood,  and  to  this  end  occasionally 
preached  in  a  union  church  near  by,  I  visited  their 
home  oftener  than  most  other  families.  I  am  not 
aware  that  these  visits  occasioned  much  remark. 
There  were  other  families  which  I  frequently  visited 
in  Vv^hich  there  were  marriageable  daughters,  to  one 
or  two  of  which  the  exigencies  of  my  work  led  me 
more  frequently  than  to  the  farm-house  mentioned; 
and  now  and  then  gossip  suggested  reasons  other  than 
official  duty  or  convenience  for  performing  it,  but  my 
reasons  were  so  apparent  that  to  my  knowledge  em- 
barrassing rumors  never  became  current.  I  still  con- 
gratulated myself  that  my  work  was  never  injured  from 
such  a  source.  I  tried  to  be  courteous  in  all  my  deal- 
ings with  the  ladies  of  my  congregation,  married  or 
single,  but  always  kept  in  mind  that  I  was  their  pas- 
tor, and  studiously  avoided  everything  that  might 
induce  them  to  forget  it.  I  think  now  that  those  who 
interested    themselves    most  in  matters  of  this    kind 

250 


&t0ts  ot  ^v  ^itt 


fancied,  that,  if  I  had  any  matrimonial  project  in 
mind,  which  was  not  apparent,  its  aim  was  the  elder 
sister  of  the  girl  of  my  choice.  With  her  I  was 
sometimes,  though  very  rarely,  left  alone  in  the  par- 
lor, but  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  this  never  occur- 
red with  the  younger  girl  who  became  my  wife.  She 
could  speak  to  me  as  her  pastor,  but  the  thought  of 
meeting  me  alone  in  her  home  was  evidently  abhor- 
rent to  her  shy  and  shrinking  nature,  neither  was  it  her 
place,  as  a  younger  member  of  the  family,  to  entertain 
visitors  at  the  house. 

When  my  resolution  was  taken  and  I  looked  around 
for  a  suitable  wife,  my  heart  turned  to  that  country 
girl,  who  from  the  first  had  impressed  me  so  favorably. 
I  was  not  deterred  by  the  fear  of  troubles  arising  in 
the  congregation  on  account  of  marrying  one  of  its 
members.  I  had  heard  and  read  about  such  dangers, 
but  they  influenced  me  little.  I  was  confident  that  a 
pastor  who  faithfully  performs  his  duty  and  exercises 
due  discretion,  has  little  to  fear  from  such  a  source. 
Accordingly  I  determined  to  see  the  coy  maiden  alone, 
if  possible,  and  have  a  heart  to  heart  talk  with  her. 
I  found  this  by  no  means  easy,  because  my  visits  to 
the  family  had  never  been  designed  for  her  alone  and 
I  was  never  left  alone  with  her.     Indeed,  it  greatly 

251 


fetors  ot  m  ULitz 


taxed  my  ingenuity  to  secure  a  private  interview  with 
her  without  reveaHng  my  purpose,  and  probably  my 
scheming  made  this  purpose  as  palpable  as  if  I  had 
blurted  out  my  business.  Finally  I  did  succeed,  by 
some  maneuvering,  to  separate  her  from  the  rest  of 
the  company  in  an  evening  stroll,  and  we  wandered 
through  the  fields  and  woods  homeward  alone.  It  was 
embarrassing  to  her,  but  it  was  my  opportunity.  I  told 
her  of  my  purpose  to  devote  my  life  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  whatever  hardships  it  might  bring;  that  I 
desired  to  do  what  our  Lord  would  require  and  go 
whither  He  sent  me;  that  I  was  lonely;  v/ould  she 
share  my  destiny,  though  it  were  in  poverty  and  low- 
liness all  our  days ;  would  she  go  with  me  even  if  it 
pleased  my  dear  Lord  to  send  me  far  away  from  home 
and  friends  as  a  missionary  to  a  benighted  land  ?  She 
did  not,  as  might  have  been  expected,  talk  about  the 
suddenness  of  the  proposal  and  ask  time  to  consider. 
She  simply  leaned  her  head  on  my  breast  and  answered 
Yes. 

She  was  not  eighteen  yet,  and  there  was  no  hurry 
for  the  marriage.  We  talked  the  matter  over  and 
agreed,  her  father  and  mother  consenting,  that  she 
should  attend  the  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Granville  yet 

for  a  while.     Our  engagement  was  not  much  noised 

252 


fetot?  of  a^g  %iu 


about,  and  was  probably  known  to  few ;  and  my  work 
went  on  as  usual,  care  being  taken  on  my  part  to  do 
nothing  that  would  give  occasion  for  gossip,  from 
which  I  always  shrank.  Quietly  we  went  our  way  at- 
tending to  our  duties,  but  not  forgetting  to  make  nec- 
essary arrangements  for  the  wedding.  This  took  place 
publicly  in  our  church  on  Christmas,  1853.  My  wife 
and  I  partook  of  the  Holy  Supper  after  the  marriage 
ceremony,  and  then  went  home.  There  were  no  in- 
vited guests  and  there  was  no  marriage  feast.  After 
a  wedding  trip  of  a  week  or  two  we  w^nt  as  boarders 
to  my  old  quarters,  I  pursuing  my  accustomed  duties 
and  my  v/ife,  who  was  not  in  her  accustomed  surround- 
ings, trying  to  find  something  to  do  and  adapt  herself 
to  her  new  position. 

She  did  not  like  the  boarding  arrangement.  It 
evidently  did  not  lie  in  her  conception  of  a  wife  that 
she  should  be  a  mere  ornament  in  the  house,  and  espe- 
cially not  in  a  house  of  which  she  was  not  mistress. 
I  think  that  if  her  parents  had  not  lived  so  near  to 
Delaware  and  had  not  been  members  of  my  congrega- 
tion, she  would  have  pined  away  with  homesickness. 
As  it  was  she  could  meet  her  people  on  Sundays  at 
church,  and  was  of  easy  access  to  them  at  any  time, 
as  my  Bonny  and  my  buggy  were  always  at  her  ser- 

253 


fetot^  ot  9^^  JLitt 


vice,  if  she  would  undertake,  when  I  could  not  go,  to 
drive  a  horse  that  would  kick  and  caper  and  plunge 
rather  than  let  any  other  driver  pass.  She  visited  her 
old  home  often  and  at  last  revealed  to  me  that  she  was 
not  happy  in  her  present  quarters,  but  desired  a  home 
of  her  own.  She  was  right.  A  pastor  that  is  married 
has  no  business  to  be  boarding,  except  in  cases  of 
emergency.  It  is  rightly  presumed  that  his  marriage 
means,  both  for  him  and  his  wife,  that  he  will  establish 
a  home  of  his  own.  I  accordingly  rented  four  rooms 
in  a  house  which  a  member  of  my  congregation  had 
built  for  a  family  residence,  but  whose  wife  had  died 
before  it  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Although  he  was 
resolved  to  keep  his  little  family  together  and  still 
occupy  the  house,  which  had  four  rooms  on  one  side 
of  the  hall  and  five  rooms  on  the  other,  he  concluded 
that  he  could  now  easily  spare  the  one  side  of  the 
building,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  it.  Her  parents  gave 
my  wife  sufficient  dowry  to  furnish  these  rooms  com- 
fortably, and  so  we  moved  into  our  own  hired  house 
and  set  up  housekeeping  for  ourselves. 

We  were  nicely  settled  now.  But  we  used  the 
hall  in  common,  and  the  proprietor's  children  some- 
times were  an  annoyance,  and  his  housekeeper's  share 
of  the  work  to  keep  clean  the  part  which  we  used  in 

254 


^totn  Dt  ^v  mtt 


common  was  not  always  done  to  the  satisfaction  of  my 
wife,  who  was  scrupulous  and  exacting  in  regard  to 
cleanliness.  Then  our  side  of  the  house  had  no  kitchen, 
which  in  her  estimation  was  a  great  desideratum.  In 
August  of  1855,  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  after  our 
marriage,  God  in  His  goodness  gave  us  a  child.  We 
were  happy  in  the  gift,  and  as  soon  as  possible  devoted 
him  to  the  Lord  with  the  name  of  Luther.  Then  more 
than  ever  the  wife  and  mother  longed  for  a  home  that 
she  could  rightfuly  call  her  own  and  in  the  manage- 
ment of  which  no  one  beside  ourselves  should  have  any 
rights  or  any  authority.  Our  landlord  had  been  fair 
and  generous,  and  I  experienced  no  trouble  but  such 
as  a  poor  man  must  expect  in  a  world  of  trouble.  But 
Mary  argued  that  a  cottage  of  two  rooms  under  our 
own  control  would  be  better  than  a  lordly  mansion 
under  the  control  of  others.  She  had  no  high  aspira- 
tions, did  not  wish  to  be  some  great  one  in  the  town, 
but  did  wish  to  be  mistress  in  the  management  of  her 
own  house.  That  was  reasonable,  and  I  would  not 
have  been  the  Christian  husband  and  father  that  I 
always  sought  and  prayed  to  be,  if  I  had  not  assented 
to  its  reasonableness.  But  some  things  were  plain  to 
my  eyes  which  were  evidently  not  plain  to  her.  She 
wished  me  to  buy  a  little  house  of  our  own,  however 


255 


&tot^  Dt  9^v  ^itt 


lowly  it  might  be.  It  was  a  good  idea,  but  I  had  no 
money  and  had  no  prospect,  at  an  income  which  had 
indeed  been  growing  and  had  reached  about  $500  per 
annum,  to  being  able  to  spare  a  dollar  from  necessary 
expenses.  But  reason  has  little  power  against  will,  and 
I  finally  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  a  wife  whose 
every  reasonable  wish  I  endeavored  to  gratify,  but  also 
to  the  advice  of  friends,  who  argued  that  the  only  way 
in  which  poor  people  could  ever  acquire  property  was 
to  make  debts. 

There  was  a  little  frame  house  a  square  from 
where  we  lived,  which  was  badly  out  of  repair  and 
which  the  owner  was  anxious  to  sell.  The  price  was 
very  low  and  the  terms  exceedingly  favorable.  The 
owner  offered  to  sell  it  to  me  for  $800  and  accept  a 
payment  of  $100  per  annum.  I  bought  it  and  fixed  it 
up  at  a  cost  of  about  $200.  It  made  a  modest  little  home 
of  which  we  could  well  be  proud.  So  neatly  and  taste- 
fully did  we  succeed  in  arranging  the  yard  around  the 
cottage  that  one  of  our  neighbors,  an  attorney,  who 
was  also  an  amateur  gardener,  complimented  me  with 
the  remark  that  I  had  increased  the  value  of  property 
on  our  whole  square  by  50  per  cent.  I  soon  learned 
the  art  of  gardening  and  delighted  in  it.     We  worked 

together  in  the  cottage  and  garden,  and  in  our  humble 

256 


&tDt?  Of  apg  JLitt 


way  made  a  beautiful  home,  which  in  right  and  reason 
was  a  joy  to  us.  But  the  property  had  to  be  paid  for, 
and  I  had  to  learn  a  hard  lesson  of  economy.  Neces- 
sity compelled  me  to  save  in  ways  which  were  some- 
times not  in  accord  with  my  dear  Mary's  tastes  and 
wishes.  I  do  not  think  that  she  had  counted  the  cost 
as  I  had  done.  Perhaps  if  she  had,  she  would  not  have 
been  so  persistent  in  her  effort  to  secure  a  home  of  our 
own.  Perhaps  if  I  had  to  do  it  over  again  I  would 
resist  all  importunities  in  that  direction,  though  it  is 
largely,  perhaps  entirely  owing  to  those  hardships  of 
long  ago  that  we  have  a  comfortable  home  of  our  own 
now  in  our  old  age.  My  income  steadily  increased  a 
little,  but  before  the  whole  debt  was  paid  our  family 
also  increased,  God  giving  us  another  boy,  Matthias, 
in  1857,  ^^^  ^  gi^lj  Mary,  in  i860.  Moreover,  after 
we  had  been  in  our  own  house  about  two  years  my 
charge  had  become  large  enough  to  be  divided,  so  that 
my  whole  time  could  be  devoted  to  the  home  congrega- 
tion, which  limited  my  support  to  Delaware.  For  a 
year  or  two  this  reduced  my  income,  although  even 
in  this  respect  the  additional  labor  expended  resulted 
in  gain.  The  debt,  trifling  as  it  might  seem  to  a  man 
even  of  moderate  means  in  these  times,  weighed  heavily 

upon  me.    I  had  just  sufficient  income  to  support  my 
17  257 


fetotp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


family,  and  of  this  I  had  to  reserve  enough  to  pay  the 
annual  installment  with  the  interest  on  the  debt.  To 
do  this  was  a  trying  task,  and  when  I  had  to  withhold 
what  my  wife  needed  and  pleaded  for,  I  do  not  wonder 
that  my  conduct  seemed  almost  cruel,  while  I  am  quite 
sure  it  was  a  cruel  burden  for  me  to  bear.  The  grace 
of  God,  which  never  failed  me  in  any  trouble,  still 
enabled  me  to  go  on  in  the  performance  of  my  minis- 
terial duties,  and  all  went  well  in  the  congregation. 
And  that  is  not  all.  By  the  same  goodness  of  our 
Heavenly  Father  which  sustained  me  in  my  work  as 
pastor,  we  passed  safely  through  the  troubles  which 
beset  us  in  our  efforts,  wise  or  othervv^ise,  to  secure  a 
home  of  our  own.  Poverty  pinched  us,  but  we  main- 
tained our  respectability  and  paid  our  debt.  The  mort- 
gage was  cancelled  and  we  were  free,  and  that  even 
some  time  before  the  last  payment  was  due. 

We  were  now  in  a  position  to  enjoy  more  of  the 
comforts  of  life.  With  our  modest  wants  we  thought 
that  we  could  now  live  quite  comfortably  on  six  hun- 
dred a  year.  I  was  inured  to  poverty,  and  Mary,  my 
wife,  and  now  mother  of  three  children,  though  she 
had  been  raised  in  a  family  that  knew  little  of  want, 
never  aspired  to  luxurious  living  and  now  fully  agreed 
that  such  a  sum  would  supply  all  reasonable  require- 


258 


^m^  ot  apg  %ut 


ments.  We  were  happy  in  our  freedom  from  debt  and 
our  prospect  of  an  ample  income  —  happier,  I  think, 
than  any  millionaire,  or  even  than  those  who,  though 
not  millionaires,  thought  at  least  two  thousand  a  year 
needed  for  a  family  like  mine. 

But  one  day  our  'family  physician,  who  was  a 
Methodist,  but  often  attended  our  services,  alleging 
that  he  desired  in  this  way  to  get  even  with  me  with- 
out sending  me  a  bill  for  his  services,  suggested  to  me 
an  exchange  of  property  that  surprised  me,  and  even 
excited  me.  He  was  noted  as  a  frequent  dealer  in  real 
estate,  though  that  was  not  his  profession.  He  was 
wealthy,  and  seemed  to  find  amusement  in  buying  and 
selling  and  exchanging  property,  sometimes  making 
large  gains,  but  sometimes,  as  he  was  a  man  of  senti- 
ment, incurring  losses  of  which  he  was  not  entirely 
ignorant  when  the  bargian  was  made.  He  had  a  house 
and  lot  which  was  only  a  square  from  our  church,  and 
which  he  thought  an  ideal  place  for  the  pastor's  res- 
idence. It  was  a  desirable  location  in  the  town,  of 
ready  access  to  our  church,  and,  as  he  thought,  per- 
fectly suited  to  a  pastor  like  me.  Aside  from  the  flat- 
tery of  me  and  of  my  prospects,  I  could  not  but  agree 
with  his  representations.  It  was  a  larger  house  and 
a  larger  lot  that  he  offered  me  in  exchange  for  our 

259 


fetot^  (}t  ^v  ^itt 


pretty  little  home.  It  was  in  a  more  desirable  part  of 
the  town,  a  little  more  than  a  block  from  the  much 
frequented  sulphur  spring  in  the  college  campus.  The 
location  was  more  desirable,  the  house  was  more  com- 
modious, the  lot  was  larger  and  the  soil  was  better 
than  where  we  lived.  In  short,  it  was  a  potent  allure- 
ment. At  first  I  only  laughed  at  his  proposition,  but 
as  he  proceeded  I  revealed  to  him  my  financial  condi- 
tion and  reasoned  against  any  thought  of  my  accept- 
ance. I  think  he  liked  me  and  desired  to  help  me.  His 
offer  was  so  favorable  and  his  terms  so  easy  that  I 
concluded  to  think  about  it.  My  wife  and  I  talked  it 
over.  Our  family  was  growing  and  a  room  or  two 
more  would  be  a  great  convenience.  Especially  was 
a  better  study  felt  as  a  want  —  felt  all  the  more  now 
as  the  house  ofi'ered  contained  a  room  that  could  not 
have  been  better  located  and  arranged  if  it  had  been 
designed  for  the  purpose.  The  exchange  was  effected, 
some  improvements,  mainly  in  the  yard  and  garden, 
were  made  to  adapt  the  home  more  fully  to  our  tastes, 
and  we  flattered  ourselves  that  we  now  had  as  beauti- 
ful and  convenient  a  pastoral  residence  as  our  little 
city  could  show.  The  shrubbery  and  the  flowers  grew 
luxuriously  and  became  the  admiration  of  the  neigh- 
borhood and  of  all  who  passed  our  premises,  and  as 


200- 


hmv  ot  m  ^itt 


ours  was  a  corner  lot,  fronting  on  one  of  the  principal 
streets  on  which  also  our  church  stood,  they  were 
many.  We  could  sometimes,  as  we  sat  on  one  or  the 
other  of  the  porticos,  one  facing  each  street,  overhear 
their  expressions  of  admiration,  and  were  proud,  Mary 
and  I,  of  our  sweet  hom.e.  My  vegetable  garden  was 
also  a  delight,  at  least  to  me.  I  had  gradually  learned 
something  of  the  art  of  gardening,  and  had  the  delight 
in  it  which  is  the  main  secret  of  success. 

My  pastoral  work,  which  the  enticements  of  my 
home  could  as  little  induce  me  to  neglect  as  the  as- 
saults of  opponents,  went  bravely  on,  undisturbed  by 
my  home  recreations  in  hours  of  needful  rest.  After 
our  family  worship  in  the  morning,  I  usually  indulged 
in  a  delightful  walk  about  the  grounds,  admiring  the 
beauty  of  the  flowers  and  the  growth  of  edibles  in  the 
vegetable  garden;  and  then,  praising  our  dear  Lord 
for  His  blessing,  in  the  goodness  of  His  providence 
supplying  our  temporal  wants  as  well  as  of  His  grace 
giving  peace  to  our  souls  in  the  rich  provision  made 
for  our  salvation  when  time  shall  be  no  more,  retired 
to  my  library  and  to  my  duties.  My  congregation 
prospered,  and  I  had  but  little  difficulty  to  meet  my 
payments  when  they  became  due,  as  we  had  learned 
how  to  save  our  money,  and  to  get  along  quite  well 


261 


fetors  ot  99^  JLitt 


without  much  indulgence  in  luxuries.  God  prospered 
us  in  a  way  that  seemed  marvelous,  and  when  I  was 
called  away  from  Delaware  all  debts  were  paid  and  I 
had  every  inducement  to  stay. 

But  we  were  not  in  heaven  yet,  and  sin  and  its 
consequences  had  not  ceased  to  trouble  us,  as  it  had 
not  ceased  to  trouble  our  congregation  and  our  Synod. 
Our  Lord  kept  reminding  us  of  this.  We  had  three 
children  when  we  removed  to  our  new  home,  and  these 
were  a  great  care,  because  in  the  divine  economy  a 
great  responsibility  attaches  to  the  divine  gift.  I  would 
not  have  been  worthy  of  my  high  office  as  ambassador 
of  the  Lord  if  I  had  not  recognized  this.  My  children, 
like  all  other  children,  were  born  in  sin,  and  on  me  and 
my  wife,  as  on  all  other  parents,  was  imposed  the  duty 
of  nursing  them  for  Him  and  bringing  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Perhaps  I  did 
not  then  understand  as  fully  as  now  the  import  of  this 
revealed  will  of  God  for  the  government  of  the  world 
and  of  our  sinful  race.  But  I  knew  it  to  be  the  will  of 
God  as  revealed  to  us  in  His  Word.  That  was  enough 
for  a  Christian,  and  with  all  my  increased  knowledge 
since  those  days,  I  have  never  found  any  reason  for 
going  beyond,  or  even  wishing  to  go  beyond  the  Chris- 
tain  prayer,  "Speak,  Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth." 

262 


fetot?  o£  9p»  %iU 


I  sought  no  higher  dignity  or  prerogative  than  that  of 
being  a  child  of  God,  and  knew  no  more  glorious  office 
than  that  of  doing  our  Father's  will  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  through  the  redemption  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  In  this  spirit  I  conducted  our 
family  worship  morning  and  evening,  day  after  day, 
and  in  this  spirit,  as  soon  as  our  oldest  child  was  capa- 
ble of  learning  what  God  had  done  for  him  in  the  re- 
demption, and  on  the  basis  of  this  had  done  for  him 
in  Holy  Baptism,  I  appointed  regular  hours  of  instruc- 
tion on  this  subject  and  earnestly  sought  to  teach  what 
children  of  God  should  learn.  My  wife,  who  had 
much  more  opportunity  than  I,  as  mothers  always  have, 
pursued  the  same  course.  Our  children  were  thus 
trained  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  although  we  suffered 
many  a  disappointment  in  their  conduct  and  their 
career,  they  all  became  Christians  of  decidedly  Luth- 
eran convictions,  and  are  such  to  this  day. 

In  the  first  year  of  our  removal  to  our  new  home 
in  i860,  I  was  unexpectedly  elected  to  the  presidency 
of  our  Joint  Synod.  Though  I  had  not  aspired  to 
such  an  office,  and  it  was  quite  unusual  to  confer  it 
on  one  so  young,  it  was  an  additional  incentive  to  re- 
joice in  the  unmerited  prosperity  which  God  had  be- 
stowed upon  me.    It  was  an  indication  that  I  had  not 

263 


fetotp  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


labored  in  vain  in  Synod,  as  my  services  in  my  con- 
gregation at  home  proved  that  I  was  not  contending 
for  an  impracticable  Lutheranism.  But  at  that  same 
Synod  at  which  I  was  elected  to  this  high  position  in 
the  thirty-second  year  of  my  age,  I  had  a  relapse  of 
my  old  disease,  which  had  thus  far  ceased  to  trouble 
me  during  my  whole  residence  in  Delaware,  unless 
my  frequent  suffering  from  lumbago  must  be  regarded 
as  its  continuous  manifestation.  At  Synod  my  pain 
became  so  intense  that  I  was  advised  to  return  home 
several  days  before  the  time  of  adjournment.  And  I 
started  none  too  early;  for  by  the  time  I  reached  my 
home,  accompanied  by  the  delegate  from  my  congre- 
gation, I  had  become  entirely  helpless.  It  was  an  at- 
tack of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  more  severe  than 
any  which  I  had  experienced  since  the  one  which  had 
necessitated  my  abandonment  of  the  printing  business 
at  Harrisburg.  I  suffered  much  for  several  weeks, 
but  my  time  had  not  yet  come  to  die,  and  I  recovered 
my  usual  frail  health  and  was  absent  but  two  Sundays 
from  my  pulpit.  I  speak  of  my  frail  health,  because, 
owing  to  stomach  troubles  and  nervous  headaches,  I 
often  debated  the  question  whether  it  was  right  to  go 
on  with  my  pastoral  work  under  difficulties  seemingly 
so  insurmountable  and  so  incapacitating.     More  than 

264 


^tot?  ot  9^?  %iU 


once  did  I  speak  to  my  wife  about  applying  for  an 
easier  charge  in  the  country,  preferably  among  the 
hills,  where  I  could  find  better  air  and  lead  more  of 
an  outdoor  life.  Probably  these  were  only  moods  of 
discontent,  as  they  come  to  all,  and  whims  that  were 
dictated  by  my  love  of  gardening.  At  any  rate  the 
Lord  of  the  Church  did  not  transfer  me  to  such  a 
place,  and  my  wife,  who  had  no  such  aches  and  pains 
and  never  could  realize  how  much  they  troubled  me, 
never  encouraged  my  whimsies.  But  she  had  her 
share  of  suffering  too,  only  it  was  of  a  different  kind. 
Ailments  which  are  the  common  lot  and  from  which 
she  had  escaped  in  youth,  when  they  are  most  likely 
to  occur,  made  their  belated  assaults  upon  her  now, 
and  toothache,  about  which  my  experience  had 
brought  me  no  knowledge,  kept  reminding  her  that 
there  are  other  pains  to  be  endured  besides  the  travails 
of  childbirth,  and  this  without  the  compensating  joy 
that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world.  Our  delightful 
new  home  was  not  beyond  the  realms  of  trouble. 

There  in  1863  our  second  daughter,  Alice,  was 
born,  and  there,  nineteen  months  after,  she  died.  It 
was  the  fourth  time  that  God  in  His  infinite  goodness 
had  visited  our  humble  home  with  the  gift  of  a  child; 
it  was  the  first  time  in  His  infinite  goodness  that  He 

265 


fetorp  of  Q^p  Jiite 


came  to  take  away  again  the  precious  gift.  She  was 
a  beautiful  child,  lovely  in  her  little  life,  and  when 
she  took  sick  and  the  physicians  told  us  that  by  all 
indications  she  would  die,  the  thought  was  one  of 
anguish.  Again  and  again  we  laid  our  earnest  en- 
treaties before  our  Father  in  heaven  that,  if  it  might 
be.  He  could  spare  the  dear  child,  and  prayed  for 
greater  strength  to  say  in  absolute  submission,  Thy 
will  be  done.  I  knew  and  sincerely  believed  that  He 
doeth  all  things  well.  I  suffered,  but  did  not  murmur 
nor  complain,  or  indulge  any  stupid  thought  that 
God  was  not  dealing  with  us  in  the  highest  wisdom 
and  mercy.  But  that  ever}'thing  which  our  poor 
human  wisdom  could  suggest  in  our  sorrow  might  be 
done,  I  called  another  physician  who  had  some  repu- 
tation for  skill,  and  who  belonged  to  a  different 
school  of  medicine.  He  came  immediately,  examined 
the  patient,  and  declared  that  there  was  still  some  hope 
of  recovery,  and  he  would  do  what  he  could  to  effect 
it.  This  seemed  strange  to  me,  for  I  could  see  through 
my  tears,  that  Alice  was  dying.  After  the  doctor  left 
we  arranged  the  child's  little  bed,  and  I  sat  down  be- 
side her.  My  wife,  who  neglected  nothing  in  the 
depth  of  her  sorrow,  was  trying  through  her  blind- 
ing tears  to  look  after  some  necessary  appliances. 

266 


&tot?  oe  ^v  %itt 


In  a  short  time,  as  I  saw  that  death  was  approach- 
ing rapidly,  I  called  her  and  told  her  that  if  she  de- 
sired to  see  our  darling  once  more  before  death  came, 
she  must  come  to  the  bedside  now.  It  did  not  shock 
her;  she  seemed  to  be  preparing,  and  was  now  pre- 
pared for  it.  I  think  that  in  the  past  few  days,  and 
especially  on  this  last  we  two,  my  wife  and  I,  were 
closer  to  God  and  conversed  more  with  Him  than 
ever.  She  replied  that  she  could  bear  it  better  if  she 
were  not  present  when  the  spirit  of  our  little  Alice 
took  its  flight.  A  few  minutes  later  our  dear  daughter 
quietly  and  peacefully  fell  asleep.  All  was  over,  and 
all  was  well.  God  gave  me  strength  to  bear  it,  and 
Mary,  though  she  wept  much,  was  ready  for  it.  The 
children  were  yet  too  young  to  know  what  death 
meant,  and  only  saw  that  their  little  sister  moved  no 
more  and  that  a  great  sorrow  had  come  upon  us. 
It  was  a  sad  home  now,  but  the  God  of  all  consolation 
was  with  us,  and  all  was  well.  We  laid  our  little 
child's  body  away  in  the  burying  ground,  in  the  faith 
of  a  glorious  resurrection,  and  mourned  our  loss,  but 
not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  And  as  we  continue 
our  pilgrimage  on  this  side  of  the  river  which  divides 
the  earthly  from  the  heavenly  land,  we  keep  glancing 

267 


fetotp  Dt  9^v  ittte 


at  the  farther  shore,  and  think  that  it  is  more  green 
and  more  flowery  because  Alice  is  there. 

Our  Lord  does  not  mean  that  His  disciples' 
suffering  should  interrupt  the  work  in  which  He  has 
employed  them.  I  think  that  I  had  some  compre- 
hension, no  doubt  inadequate,  of  His  grand  economy. 
But  as  we,  Mary  and  I,  walked  up  and  down  this 
riv.er,  we  could  not  forget  our  loss,  and  much  less 
forget  that  our  dear  Lord  has  redeemed  us  and  made 
us  heirs  of  a  home  in  the  happy  land  where  sorrows 
never  come  and  where  our  Alice  is  happy  forever. 
So  even  this  could  not  interfere  with  the  work  which 
I  was  called  to  do  in  Delaware,  but  rather  served  to 
sanctify  the  workman  and  thus  render  it  more  in- 
tense. 

A  year  before  we  moved  to  Columbus  my  labors 
were  increased  by  my  acceptance  of  the  editorship, 
and  virtually  of  the  proprietorship  of  the  Lutheran 
Standard.  As  this  implied  not  only  the  editing,  but 
the  whole  business  management  of  the  periodical,  in- 
cluding the  mailing  of  the  paper,  my  family  was 
greatly  concerned  in  the  enterprise.  But  I  reserve 
the  story  of  this  for  the  next  chapter. 

We  left  our  beautiful  and  in  all  respects  satis- 
factory home  in  Delaware  in  the  Spring  of  1865.     In 


268 


^totv  ot  ^v  ^itt 


Columbus  I  was  not  only  to  teach  in  the  University, 
but  to  act  as  housefather  of  the  whole  school.  A 
suite  of  rooms  had  been  reserved  for  this  purpose, 
and  they  were  reasonably  adequate.  They  were  satis- 
factory all  around.  We  went  there,  and  my  teaching 
and  my  management  of  the  house  were  generally  ap- 
proved, nothwithstanding  occasional  doubts.  My  wife 
was  not  only  satisfied  with  her  new  quarters,  but 
opposed  any  suggestion  of  change.  She  liked  the  sur- 
roundings, and  to  this  day  she  maintains  that  they 
were  delightful  beyond  all  former  or  future  arrange- 
ments made  for  our  family  comfort.  She  always  was 
youthful  in  spirit  and  enjoyed  the  youthful  sports  of 
the  students  and  their  occasional  company,  which  was 
regular  because  of  the  work  of  folding  and  mailing 
the  paper  which  I  continued  to  edit.  But  my  experi- 
ence was  different.  With  my  classes  to  attend  to  and 
my  editorial  work  on  the  Standard,  I  had  plenty  to  do, 
and  when  to  this  was  added  the  preaching  almost 
every  Sunday,  and  after  a  while  every  Sunday,  it  was 
a  burdensome  task-;  and  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  original  stipulation  was  that  I  must  be  house- 
father and  attend  to  the  whole  discipline  of  the  Col- 
lege and  Seminary,  it  is  no  wonder  that  I  felt  over- 
burdened.    Some  men  could  no  doubt  do  it  all,  after 


fetotp  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


a  certain  fashion,  but  the  fashion  was  not  in  accord 
with  my  conscience,  and  I  declared  my  inabiUty  to 
do  it  all  in  a  way  that  would  promote  our  cause. 
The  Board,  after  several  years  of  experience  agreed 
with  me,  and  consented  to  relieve  me  of  the  house- 
fathership.  I  accordingly,  without  the  cordial  appro- 
bation of  my  wife,  after  looking  around  for  a  long 
while  and  long  debating  of  the  subject,  purchased  the 
ground  which  our  home  now  occupies  and  built  the 
house  in  which  we  still  live. 

I  had  disposed  of  my  property  in  Delaware  to 
the  physician  from  whom  I  had  purchased  it,  at  an 
advance  of  $500,  so  that  I  had  a  good  start  when  I 
came  to  Columbus.  As  my  assets  were  mainly  in 
government  bonds,  which  were  then  paying  a  liberal 
interest,  and  my  salary  was  $800  in  Columbus,  with 
apartments  in  the  college  free  of  rent,  I  felt  able  to 
buy  a  modest  home  in  Columbus,  this  time  without 
the  urging  of  my  wife.  My  capital  was  not  large,  but 
I  could  feel  safe  in  buying  the  two  lots  on  which  my 
house  now  stands  and  building  the  modest  home  in 
which  I  am  now  writing.  The  house  was  so  placed 
that  in  case  the  emergency  should  arise  one  of  the 
lots  could  be  sold  again.  But  it  did  not  arise.  The 
payments  were  regularly  made,  and  as  my  salary  was 

270 


&tot^  ot  9$v  ^itt 


later  increased,  we  have  for  many  years  been  living 
without  debt  and  without  want. 

Since  we  live  in  Columbus  our  home  has  been 
blessed  with  three  more  children:  Harry,  born  in 
1865;  Ada  Willey,  born  in  1870;  and  Carl,  born  in 
1875.  We  are  seven,  although  our  family  living  in 
this  our  old,  but  still  dear  old  home  has  dwindled 
down  to  three,  Mary  and  I  and  our  daughter  Ada. 
We  have  exerted  ourselves  in  our  simple  way  to  make 
the  place  beautiful,  and  have  no  desire  for  one  more 
costly  or  grand,  hoping  to  live  here  until  it  pleases 
our  Father  to  take  us  to  our  blissful  and  everlasting 
home  in  heaven,  whither  our  dear  Saviour,  who  pur- 
chased us  with  His  blood,  has  gone  to  prepare  a 
place  for  us. 

It  was  my  ardent  wish  that  all  our  boys  should 
become  preachers  of  the  precious  gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God  in  Christ.  My  wife  concurred  in  my  wish, 
and  to  this  end  their  training  was  directed.  I  knew 
the  hardships  of  the  ministry  quite  well  —  knew  them 
much  better  than  most  of  those  who  use  them  as  an 
argument  to  induce  young  men  to  renounce  the  rising 
thought  of  joining  its  struggling  ranks.  And  I  knew 
something,  though  not  so  much,  of  the  hardships  of 
those  who  are  struggling  for  gold  and  for  the  glory 


271 


fytotv  ot  ^v  ^itt 


of  the  world.  My  deliberate  judgment,  whenever  my 
reflections  turned  to  the  subject,  was  uniformly  in 
favor  of  the  ministry.  Of  course  my  principal  argu- 
ment was  always  that  the  glorious  harvest  is  plente- 
ous and  the  laborers  are  few;  and  it  seemed  to  me 
the  acme  of  perverted  logic  when  professed  Christians 
reasoned  against  entering  the  ministerial  profession 
because  money  could  not  be  made  in  leading  souls 
to  Christ  and  in  Him  to  everlasting  happiness.  It  wjas 
reasoning  which  might  well  arouse  indignation  in  a 
soul  that  had,  by  experience  and  otherwise,  learned 
a  little  of  the  comparative  worth  of  the  temporal  and 
the  eternal.  But  even  in  the  light  of  such  reason  as 
the  world  could  afford  the  argument  appeared  to  me 
wholly  on  the  side  of  the  Gospel  ministry.  I  was 
poor  and  had  sometimes  to  deny  myself  as  a  needless 
luxury  some  things  which  a  common  laborer  could 
afford,  but  I  was  quite  sure  that  I  had  some  enjoy- 
ments, and  that  of  a  higher  and  nobler  sort,  which  a 
millionaire  could  not  reach  and  the  man  ambitious  for 
fame  could  never  attain.  I  know  a  good  deal  more 
now  of  the  wild  chase  of  fools  after  happiness  on  the 
rough  roads  of  wealth  and  fame  and  pleasure,  and 
my  conviction  has  only  been  intensified,  that  even  in 
the  light  of  sound  reason  the  ministry  is  a  desirable 


272 


fetors  of  ^v  fLitt 


field  for  young  men.  I  do  not  mean  that  unsanctified 
talent  should  rush  to  the  opening  for  its  exercise. 
On  the  contrary,  T  would  warn  adventurers  of  that 
kind  that  their  scheme  must  end  in  failure.  They  have 
not  the  conditions  of  success  in  a  kingdom  which  is 
not  of  this  world,  and  they  have  no  adequate  idea  of 
what  success  in  this  realm  means.  The  conditions  are 
such  that  they  must  fail,  and  the  want  of  money  to 
carry  on  their  work  is  misery.  The  ministry  as  a 
scheme  for  carnal  speculation  has  always  been  a  fail- 
ure, and  in  the  nature  of  the  conditions  must  be  a 
failure,  even  if  occasional  temporary  triumphs  are  re- 
ported. But  a  true  Christian  minister  cannot  fail. 
He  may  suffer  temporary  defeats  and  sometimes  be 
disappointed  in  his  hopes,  but  he  never  fails.  The 
Master  whom  he  serves  sees  to  that.  If  the  work  is 
done  according  to  the  Lord's  directions,  even  seeming 
failure  is  a  real  success.  And  the  believing  Christian 
knows  it,  and  is  comforted,  though  he  does  not  see 
how  his  Lord  is  going  to  bring  a  triumph  out  of  the 
seeming  defeat.  And  if  the  loaf  of  bread  on  hand 
is  small  for  a  hungry  family  that  is  large,  he  knows 
the  power  of  his  Master,  who  is  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  does  not  despair,  but  cheerfully  hungers 
for  a  day  or  two  until  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  the 


18  273 


Motii  ot  9$v  %iit 


Master  supplies  the  want.  Take  it  all  in  all,  it  was 
and  is  still  my  deliberate  judgment  that  there  is  no 
happier  calling,  with  all  its  hardships  and  privations, 
than  that  of  the  Christian  ministry.  I  can  therefore 
never  admit  that  my  desire  that  all  my  boys  should  be 
ministers  of  the  gospel  was  unwise.  No  doubt  my 
judgment  was  at  fault  in  many  things,  but  it  was  not 
in  this. 

In  this  conviction  my  boys,  whom  I  desired  in  any 
case  to  bring  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,  that  they  might  serve  Him  in  any  calling  to 
which  He  might  assign  them,  were  sent  to  school, 
and  all  of  them  in  due  time  entered  the  college,  in 
which  I  was  professor.  They  did  not  meet  my  expec- 
tations. Probably  I  had  expected  too  much,  and  my 
oldest  boy,  before  he  was  graduated,  desired  a  mer- 
cantile career.  Our  second  son,  referring  to  the  hard- 
ships of  the  ministry  and  pointing  to  my  own  life  as 
an  example,  desired  to  study  law.  Our  third  boy  con- 
tinued his  studies  until  he  had  graduated  in  the  col- 
lege and  entered  the  Theological  Seminary,  but  finally 
concluded  that  the  ministry  was  adapted  neither  to 
his  taste  nor  his  talent,  and  entered  upon  a  business 
pursuit.    Our  fourth  boy,  before  he  was  graduated  in 

college,  followed  in  the  same  course.    I  think  that  the 

274 


fetot^  ot  9^^  %itt 


success  of  his  brothers  in  other  vocations  had  much 
influence  upon  his  decision  to  quit  his  studies  and  de- 
vote himself  to  business  pursuits,  and  thus  relieve  me 
of  his  support  and  make  his  own  living.  Our  oldest 
son  entered  a  m.ercantile  business,  which  fluctuated 
much,  but  always  secured  him  a  livelihood.  As  he  is 
a  skillful  musician  and  never  lost  his  interest  in  the 
church,  he  gave  much  time  and  money  to  our  Church 
in  Columbus,  and  is  now  the  efficient  organist  of 
Grace  congregation,  to  which  he  gives  much  attention 
without  compensation,  though  more  than  once  offers 
have  been  made  him  with  a  good  salary  in  other 
churches.  Our  second  son  abandoned  his  studies  af 
Capital  University  before  graduation  and  entered  a 
law  office  for  the  study  of  jurisprudence.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  as  an  attorney-at-law,  where  he 
was  building  up  a. lucrative  practice,  though  all  the 
while  an  active  member  of  the  English  Lutheran  con- 
gregation, of  which  he  was  a  worthy  and  more  than 
ordinarily  laborious  and  appreciated  officer  when  he 
died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  twenfy-eight  years.  Our 
third  son  remained  in  college  until  his  graduation, 
afterwards  entered  the  Theological  Seminary,  but 
finally  drifted  into  the  mercantile  business  with  his 
eldest  brother,  and  is  still  successfully  pursuing  it  at 


275 


fetot?  ot  9^v  mtt 


Dayton,  Ohio.  Our  youngest  son  before  graduation 
followed  in  the  same  line  of  business  and  also  settled 
with  his  wife  in  Dayton,  where  both,  the  elder  still 
unmarried,  are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Church  in  connection  with  the  Ohio  Synod.  It  was  a 
disappointment  that  none  of  them  could  be  induced 
to  enter  the  ministry,  yet  it  is  a  comfort  to  know  that 
they  are  still  faithful  workers  in  the  Church.  It  was 
a  little  soothing  in  this  disappointment  that  our  eldest 
daughter  married  a  minister,  who  is  now  President  of 
Capital  University,  and  I  indulge  the  hope  that  of  their 
family  of  seven,  three  of  whom  are  boys,  one  or  the 
other  may  enter  the  ministry. 

Death  came  to  our  home  a  second  time  in  Sep- 
tember, 1885,  when  our  second  son  was  taken  from  us. 
He  had  been  visiting  friends  who  were  sick  of  ty- 
phoid fever  and  one  of  whom  had  died.  Their  suf- 
ferings affected  him  much,  and  were  a  subject  of  ser- 
ious remark.  He  was  depressed  and  complained  of 
headache.  Fever  set  in  and  he  became  delirious.  In 
his  lucid  intervals  he  told  us  that  the  sickness  would 
end  in  death,  spoke  calmly  about  it,  joined  heartily 
in  our  prayers,  but  persisted  in  his  conviction  that  he 
would  die.  To  me  it  did  not  seem  so,  and  I  regarded 
his  impression  as  one  of  the  illusions  of  his  disease. 


276 


fetor?  oC  9??  %itt 


The  physician  whom  he  had  himself  called  and  who 
was  not  our  regular  family  doctor,  did  not  seem  to 
entertain  such  fears.  But  the  sickness  was  serious 
enough  to  call  in  others  for  consultation,  and  one  of 
these,  while  he  expressed  himself  cautiously,  mani- 
festly designed  to  give  us  no  encouragement.  But  he 
improved,  and  one  evening  when  the  weather  was 
misty  and  disagreeable  he  insisted,  as  he  had  been 
able  to  move  about  the  house  for  several  days,  that 
he  must  go  to  his  office  and  attend  to  some  duties,  as 
one  of  his  clients  would  otherwise  suffer  for  lack  of 
his  attorney's  attention.  He  went  in  spite  of  all  our 
remonstrances.  As  I  think  of  it  now  I  cannot  cen- 
sure him,  for  I  think  that  he  was  acting  in  accord- 
ance with  the  principles  which  I  had  always  sought  to 
instil  into  my  children  and  my  congregations,  that  so 
long  as  any  strength  is  left  for  the  performance  of 
duty,  we  should  do  it,  and  leave  the  consequences 
to  Him  who  ordained  the  duty.  Knowing  the  conse- 
quences now,  I  still  think  that  I  would  do  the  same 
thing :  for  death  might  have  ensued  even  if  he  had  not 
gone.  He  thought  he  could  save  his  client  from  suf- 
fering wrong,  and  went.  He  came  home  exhausted 
and  suffered  a  relapse.     Next  day  he  was  worse,  and 

continually  grew  worse  until  the  end  came.     We  ap- 

277 


fetot?  ot  ^v  ^itt 


plied  all  human  agencies  within  our  knowledge,  and 
did  what  we  could  to  insure  all  possible  comfort  in 
life  and  to  avert  death,  but  he  grew  worse.  The 
periods  in  which  I  could  speak  to  him  about  the  grace 
of  God  in  Christ  and  in  which  he  could  join  with  me 
in  prayer  became  less.  He  lapsed  into  unconscious- 
ness, and  for  hours  and  days  we  could  have  no  con- 
verse with  him.  Did  his  soul,  which  seemed  to  be 
wholly  absent  from  us,  have  joyous  converse  all  the 
while  with  his  Redeemer  from  sin  and  death?  I  do 
not  know,  men  cannot  know  what  intercourse  there 
is  between  the  Savior  and  the  saved  when  all  inter- 
course between  the  sick  and  sorrowing  around  the 
sick-bed  has  ceased ;  but  I  do  know  that  the  believing 
soul,  even  though  it  become  what  we  with  our  earthly 
limitations  call  unconscious,  is  safe  in  the  arms  of 
our  Redeemer,  and  suffers  no  separation  from  him 
because  there  are  no  longer  any  signs  of  conscious 
communion  with  loved  ones  on  earth.  It  was  hard 
for  me  to  believe  that  my  dear  boy  was  dying,  and  I 
regularly  went  to  my  work  at  school  and  did.  as  well 
as  I  could,  my  duty  there,  as  my  boy  did  when  he 
Vv-ent  to  his  office  on  that  drizzling  night  which, 
humanly  speaking,  brought  on  the  relapse.  But  in 
the  morning  of  September  ii,  1885,  when  I  went  to 

278 


motv  PC  9§V  mtt 


the  sick-room,  the  conviction  was  forced  upon  me 
that  my  son  was  right:  the  sickness  was  unto  death. 
I  enquired  of  the  man  whom  we  had  employed  as 
night-nurse,  how  my  boy  was  getting  along,  and  his 
reply  was  very  encouraging.  He  said  that  the  patient 
had  a  good  night  and  was  evidently  better.  I 
approached  the  bed  and  saw  that  his  condition  was 
evidently  worse.  I  conducted  our  morning  worship, 
in  which  our  sick  boy  could  take  no  apparent  part, 
and  prepared  myself  as  well  as  a  crushing  sorrow 
permitted.  When  the  physician  came  I  told  him  how 
my  hopes  were  darkened  by  the  condition  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  expressed  my  fear  that  my  dear  boy  would 
leave  us  for  the  eternal  world  on  that  day.  He  still 
thought  that  there  was  room  for  hope,  but  agreed  that 
I  was  right  in  deciding  to  stay  at  home  that  day.  An- 
other consultation  of  physicians  was  held,  and  nothing 
could  be  done.  Our  dear  boy  died  that  afternoon.  My 
heart  was  unutterably  sad,  but  by  the  grace  of  God 
I  was  able  to  say  that  all  is  well.  Indeed,  it  seemed 
to  me,  as  I  thought  of  sin  and  grace,  and  the  purpose 
of  God  in  the  government  of  the  world  and  the  great 
salvation  prepared  for  all  in  this  earthly  state  of 
probation,  that  I  could  preach  the  sermon  at  the  burial 
of  my  son  better  than  I  ever  could  officiate  at  a  funeral 

279 


&tor^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


before.  But  my  wife  was  almost  inconsolable.  He 
was  devoted  to  his  mother  as  few  sons  of  his  age  are 
ordinarily  found  to  be,  and  his  cheery  greeting  when 
he  came  home  to  his  meals  and  his  affectionate  atten- 
tion to  her  every  want,  it  was  hard  for  her  to  miss. 
But  neither  did  she  mourn  as  one  who  had  no  hope, 
and  we  buried  the  lifeless  body  of  our  promising  boy, 
so  young,  so  loving,  so  useful  in  the  world,  in  the 
happy  assurance  that  he  is  living  still;  and  we  have 
never  ceased  to  think  of  him  as  one  of  us,  not  dead, 
but  sleeping.  We  afterwards  brought  the  remains  of 
our  little  Alice  also  to  Green  Lawn,  and  there  the  tvv^o 
whom  God  took  lie  side  by  side  awaiting  the  glorious 
resurrection  on  the  last  day,  when  we  shall  meet 
again  in  the  body.  My  wife  still  goes  out  often  to 
lay  flov/ers  on  their  graves.  I  have  less  inclination  to 
go  where  their  bodies  lie,  but  more  to  visit  them  where 
they  live.  Our  children  are  seven.  It  will  not  be  very 
long  until,  by  the  unspeakable  grace  of  our  Lord,  we 
shall  all  be  together  again  in  heaven. 


280 


LI'TIICRAIi  KTAVDARII. 


m 


Facsimile  of  the  First  Nu.muer  of  -Lutheran 
Standard,"  Edited  by  Dr.   E.   Green- 

WALD     at    New     PHH.ADELrHIA, 

Ohio,  Sept.  21,  1842. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

EDITOR. 

DURING  my  whole  career  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  I  have  been  a  frequent  contributor  to 
the  periodical  press.    I  began  this  when  I  took  charge 
of  the  congregation  at  Delaware,  and  have  continued 
my  labors  in  that  field  until  the  present  day  for  now 
fifty-six   years.      My   contributions   to   our   Lutheran 
Standard  had  been  many  during  my  ministry  at  Dela- 
ware, and  occasional  articles  had  been  furnished  for 
three  other  periodicals,  one  of  them  a  Quarterly  Re- 
view.    It  was  therefore  not  surprising  that   Synod, 
in  looking  about  for  a  new  editor  of  the  Standard, 
thought  of  me.     In  1864  I  was  unanimously  elected 
to  the  place,  and  under  existing  circumstances  I  con- 
sidered it  my  duty  to  accept  the  call.     As  the  presi- 
dency of  Synod  had  several  years  before  been  added 
to  my  work  as  pastor,  this  acceptance  of  still  another 
vocation  was  a  grave  matter,  for  it  involved  a  great 
deal  more  than  the  editorial  management  of  the  paper, 
which  in  itself  was  not  a  small  addition  to  my  burdens. 
The  Lutheran  Standard  had  had  a  precarious  ex- 
281 


fetot^  Dt  ^^  %itt 


istence  for  more  than  a  score  of  years.  Begun  in  1842 
in  New  Philadelphia  under  the  editorship  of  Rev.  E, 
Greenwald,  who  was  then  pastor  in  that  place,  it  was 
after  two  years  removed  to  Zanesville  and  edited  for 
not  quite  a  year  by  Rev.  S.  A.  Mealy,  who  then 
removed  to  another  charge  and  left  the  journal  heavily 
in  debt,  with  creditors  clamoring  for  their  money.  A 
committee,  consisting  of  Pastors  Spielmann  and  Leh- 
mann,  was  sent  to  Zanesville  to  settle  up  the  accounts 
and  provide  for  issuing  the  six  numbers  yet  required 
to  complete  the  third  volume.  They  succeeded  in 
quieting  creditors  and  resolved,  in  order  to  gain  more 
time,  to  publish  a  number  only  every  two  weeks,  in- 
stead of  weekly  as  heretofore.  The  missing  numbers 
were  issued,  collections  were  made,  some  new  sub- 
scribers were  obtained,  and  it  was  thought  possible  to 
continue  the  paper  as  a  bi-weekly.  Pastor  Spielmann 
was  appointed  editor,  the  office  was  moved  to  Somer- 
set, where  Pastor  Lehmann  attended  to  the  proof- 
reading and  office  work,  but  when,  in  1847,  ^^^  latter 
removed  to  Columbus  as  Professor  in  the  Seminary, 
Pastor  Spielmann  already  residing  there,  the  publica- 
tion office  was  also  transferred  to  Columbus,  where  it 
was  of  longer  continuance.  In  1848  Pastor  Spielmann 
resigned  the  editorship  on  account  of  failing  health, 

282 


fetors  oC  ^JV  ^itt 


and  the  Standard  was  edited  by  a  committee  until  1851, 
when  Rev.  E.  Greenwald,  who  had  become  pastor  of 
our  EngHsh  congregation  in  Cohimbus,  took  charge 
of  it  and  remained  its  editor  until  his  removal  from 
the  city  in  1854.  Then  Professor  Worley  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  place,  and  in  1859  synod  gave  the  whole 
management  of  the  paper  into  his  hands,  the  business 
affairs  and  correspondence  having  during  all  this 
time,  until  1857,  remained  in  the  hands  of  Pastor 
Spielmann,  after  which  time  this  part  was  attended 
to  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Schulze  until  the  whole  was  com- 
mitted to  Professor  Worley. 

Accordingly  what  was  expected  of  me  was  to 
take  the  entire  property  and  make  out  of  it  what  I 
could.  That  property  consisted  of  a  mailing  list  and 
an  account  book.  The  press  had  long  since  been  sold, 
and  for  years  it  had  been  found  more  convenient  to 
have  the  printing  done  in  other  establishments  than 
to  maintain  one  of  our  own.  What  I  assumed  was 
thus  the  publication  every  two  weeks  of  a  periodical, 
with  all  that  pertains  to  such  an  undertaking,  includ- 
ing the  management  of  the  business  and  the  mailing 
as  well  as  the  editorship. 

It  was  a  large  contract  that  I  had  assumed.  The 
Standard  to  all  appearance  was  for  a  second  time  near- 


283 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


ing  its  end.  The  subscription  list  had  dwindled  down 
so  much  that  the  prospect  of  making  the  paper  self- 
supporting  was  gloomy.  It  had  lost  some  of  its  best 
friends,  and  I  could  not  reasonably  expect  that  within 
a  short  period  enough  zeal  would  be  displayed  in 
gathering  new  subscribers  to  dispel  the  gloom.  And 
yet  in  full  view  of  the  situation,  my  conviction  that  the 
work  which  the  Lord  had  given  our  Ohio  Synod  to  do 
would  suffer  if  we  permitted  the  Standard  to  die, 
constrained  me  to  make  the  effort.  It  should  not  die 
if  strength  were  given  me  to  do  the  work  necessary 
to  keep  it  alive.  I  saw,  too,  where  improvements 
could  be  made  that  would  render  the  paper  more  ac- 
ceptable. Neither  the  editorial  nor  the  mechanical 
work  on  it  was  satisfactory.  I  was  myself  displeased 
with  it,  and  although  I  still  made  some  contributions 
to  its  columns,  I  was  impelled  to  send  to  other  papers 
such  articles  as  I  thought  most  needful.  This  I  did 
partly  because  Professor  Worley's  notions  about 
church  government  were  opposed  to  what  he  called 
the  Missourianism  which  I  advocated,  and  partly 
because  it  was  plain  to  me  that  my  advocacy  of  con- 
sistent Lutheranism  in  doctrine  and  practice  would  be 
more  effective  in  periodicals  more  widely  read  and  of 

larger  influence  than  our  deteriorated  Standard.     If 

284 


f  he  liiientii  gitodarcl 


Facsimile  of    First    Number    of    "Lutheran    Standard" 

Edited  by   Prof.  M.  Loy,  at   Delaware.   Ohio. 

April  15,  1864. 


&tor^  ot  ^^  %itt 


the  present  crisis  could  be  safely  passed,  the  hope  of 
better  days  seemed  to  me  no  idle  dream.  Surely 
God's  power  is  not  curbed  by  the  distress  which  cries 
to  Him  for  help. 

So  I  consulted  a  printer  at  Delaware  and  made  a 
contract  for  the  publication  which  was,  I  thought, 
quite  fair  and  favorable.  There  was  at  Stratford  a 
paper  mill  whose  proprietors  lived  in  Delaware,  and 
I  succeeded  there  also  in  getting  reasonable  terms. 
The  copy  was  furnished,  the  proof  was  read,  and  the 
first  issue  under  my  care,  dated  April,  1864,  was 
printed,  and  the  whole  edition  delivered  at  my  house. 
I  paid  the  bill  according  to  contract,  and  the  pile  of 
papers  was  my  property.  Brother  Schulze,  who  had 
become  an  expert  in  the  mailing  business,  and  who  was 
anxious  that  I  should  not  become  discouraged  in  my 
first  experience  of  getting  the  papers  to  their  destina- 
tion through  the  mail,  had  come  up  from  Columbus 
to  help  me  to  prepare  the  wrappers,  fold  the  papers, 
write  the  addresses,  get  the  paste  ready,  put  it  on 
only  where  it  belongs,  and  whatsoever  pertains  to  the 
mystery  of  mailing  without  machinery.  My  whole 
family  bravely  attacked  the  printed  pile  and  by  mid- 
night we  had  the    work  done,    and  in  the  morning 

hauled  the  packages  to  the  post-office.     One  number 

285 


feitor^  of  9$v  ^itt 


was  thus  issued  without  mishap  and  without  losing 
heart. 

I  looked  the  paper  over  with  a  feeling  of  com- 
placency bordering  on  pride.  It  was  an  improvement 
in  paper,  in  type,  in  presswork  and  I  thought  also  in 
contents.  My  predecessor  with  whom  I  was  not  in 
harmony  on  the  ''church  and  ministry"  question  and 
some  practical  matters  involved  in  it,  gave  me  a  hearty 
recommendation  in  his  valedictory,  showing  how  at 
least  in  our  Ohio  Synod,  men  could  oppose  each  other 
without  becoming  personal  enemies.  Among  other 
things  he  said :  "Let  us  all  do  better  in  future  to 
give  the  Standard  a  more  original  and  direct  churchly 
tone.  Our  people  complain  of  their  ministers  because 
they  do  not  show  the  interest  they  ought  by  contribut- 
ing to  its  support  their  own  original  articles.  The 
truth  is,  they  have  had  and  have  now  too  much  reason 
to  complain  in  this  regard.  Brethren,  do  not  let  it 
be  so  any  longer.  Up  and  to  work  while  the  day 
lasts,  lest  the  night  of  dissolution  come  over  our 
beloved  Standard,  when  it  will  be  too  late  to  work  in 
its  favor  and  support.''  ''In  conclusion  we  will  only 
yet  ask  the  hearty  co-operation  and  encouragement  of 
all,  ministers  and  laymen,  to  our  successor  and  the 
paper."     In  my  own  introductory  editorial  I  deemed 

286 


fetorp  ot  9^^  %itt 


it  well  to  speak  with  that  frankness  which  it  was  my 
purpose  to  observe  throughout  my  editorial  career. 

Even  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  our  paper,  I 
designed  to  conceal  nothing.  I  copy  an  extract  from 
a  lengthy  salutatory  talk:  ''We  are  no  stranger  to 
this  audience ;  at  any  rate  after  having  been  a  not  infre- 
quent contributor  to  the  paper  for  fifteen  years,  we 
do  not  feel  like  a  stranger;  so  we  shall  try  to  be  at 
ease,  although  the  editorial  chair  in  general,  and  this 
editorial  chair  in  particular,  is  no  easy  chair,  as  our 
predecessor  —  whom  peace  and  prosperity  attend  in 
his  new  home  —  can  testify.  If  we  are  asked  how  we 
came  to  be  in  so  unpromising  a  position  as  that  of 
editor  of  the  Standard,  we  have  simply  to  answer  that 
we  could  not  help  it.  Providence  does  not  call  men 
to  sit  in  counsel  with  Him.  Our  Lord  disposes  of  His 
willing  servants  according  to  His  own  purposes,  and 
that  is  about  all  we  know  of  the  disposition  made." 
"But  why  should  there  have  been  any  hesitation  or  re- 
luctance about  it?  Our  readers  have  sufficient  data 
from  which  to  draw  a  satisfactory  answer  to  this 
question  for  themselves.  And  yet  this  is  the  proper 
place  to  give  an  answer.  The  cares  and  perplexities 
connected  with  the  editing  of  a  paper  are  sufficiently 

great  to  induce  men  to  be  sometimes  slow  in  accepting 

287 


mm  ot  9$V  IBLiit 


an  editorship,  even  when  they  are  relieved  from  all 

other  labors  and  are  offered  salaries  which  are  by  no 

means  uninviting.    We  always  supposed  that  we  had 

enough  to  do  in  our  own  congregation,  which  by  the 

blessing  of  God  has  become  comparatively  large,  and, 

considering  the  enfeebled  state  of  our  health,  we  think 

so  still.    These  duties  we  have  to  perform  as  before, 

all  that  are  made  incumbent  upon  us  by  the  acceptance 

of  the  paper  being  additional.    And  it  is  not  only  the 

editorship  that  we  are  called  to  assume ;  our  reluctance 

would  not  have  been  so  great  if  this  had  been  all. 

There  is  the  whole  management  of  the  business,  with 

the  drudgery  of  mailing  and  bookkeeping  thrown  in. 

It  is  shocking,  you  will  say;  why  not  hire  somebody 

to  attend  to  these  extra  labors,  which  ought  never  to 

be  imposed  on  the  editor?    Dear  reader,  we  would  let 

you  into  a  secret  here,  were  the  cat  not  already  out  of 

the  bag;  there  is  positively  no  money  to  hire  anybody 

else  with.     But  why  not  rather  reduce  the  editor's 

salary  in  order  to  relieve  him  of  work  so  tedious  and 

tasteless  ?    Dear,  unsophisticated  reader,  the  editor  has 

no  salary." 

In  regard  to  the  doctrinal  position  of  the  paper 

this  was  said:    "We  shall  endeavor  to  be  faithful  to 

our  motto,  'Speaking  the  truth  in  love.'    This  truth  we 

288 


&tDt^  Ot  9^V  HMt 


find  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  our  rule  of 
faith  and  practice;  and  the  truth  of  Holy  Scripture 
we  find  confessed,  without  admixture  of  error,  in  the 
symbols  of  our  Church.  Fidelity  to  the  Bible  implies, 
as  we  see  it,  fidelity  to  our  Confessions :  men  do  not 
speak  the  truth  when  their  speech  is  contrary  to  either, 
because  both  contain  the  same  truth.  We  know  of  no 
Lutheranism,  properly  so  called,  but  the  Evangelical 
Lutheranism  of  the  Augsburg  Confession,  and  shall 
always  strive  to  prove  our  title  to  the  Lutheran  name 
by  maintaining  the  scriptural  truth  of  that  august 
symbol.  This  truth  we  shall  endeavor  to  speak  in  love, 
which,  of  course,  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  not 
speak  it  at  all.  We  shall  endeavor  to  speak  it  always, 
whether  men  will  hear  or  forbear;  but  we  shall  strive 
to  speak  it  kindly,  with  the  purpose  to  benefit  others, 
even  though  it  should  be  necessary  sometimes  to  give 
pain  in  order  to  effect  this  purpose." 

I  think  that  the  first  number  issued  under  my 
management  did  something  towards  convincing  the 
constituency  of  the  Standard  that  it  could  yet  be  made 
an  efficient  helper  in  the  great  work  which  was  com- 
mitted to  the  Ohio  Synod.  The  paper  was  commended 
and  won  new  friends,  and  the  editor  was  encouraged 

by  many  tokens  of  good  will.    When  the  second  num- 
19  289 


fetors  of  9$v  fiitt 


ber  was  issued  and  delivered,  money  enough  had  come 
in  to  pay  the  bills  promptly,  and  no  worry  came  from 
that  source.  I  had  made  preparations  for  mailing,  and 
when  the  paper  came  the  whole  family  joined  forces, 
and  by  dint  of  perseverance  and  with  some  bungling 
we  got  the  edition  ready  in  due  time  for  the  drayman 
and  the  post  office.  In  course  of  time  we  learned  the 
business,  and  the  work  became  easier,  especially  as, 
when  mailing  day  came,  my  children  sometimes 
brought  in  playmates  to  help  them,  and  occasionally  a 
friend  dropped  in  to  help  us.  So  after  a  while  that 
part  of  the  burden  became  lighter,  and  as  subscription 
monies  kept  coming  in  every  week,  there  was  no  occa- 
sion for  business  embarrassments. 

Of  course,  the  editorial  management  was  of 
greater  importance  and  laid  upon  me  a  responsibility 
of  higher  moment.  I  think  that  I  recognized  this  to 
the  fullest  extent,  and  felt  it  even  more  deeply  than 
my  most  anxious  friends.  It  may  therefore  seem  unac- 
countable that  this  worried  me  but  little.  That,  how- 
ever, is  the  fact.  If  any  one  should  infer  from  this 
that  I  had  a  fond  conceit  of  myself,  and  was  supported 
by  a  presumption  which  is  blind  to  the  power  of  other 
people,  his  inference  is  utterly  false.     Such  folly  may 

sustain  a  braggart  for  a  while,  but  sooner  or  later  he 

290 


fetot^  of  9$v  ^itt 


must  succumb  to  superior  forces,  and  usually  it  is  very 
soon.  I  knew  something  of  our  limitations  and  weak- 
nesses, and  had  good  reason  to  suspect  that  these  were 
greater  than  I  knew.  I  was  aware  also  that  there 
were  multitudes  of  people  whose  endowments  and  at- 
tainments were  greater  than  mine,  and  some  of  these  I 
had  become  acquainted  with  and  appreciated.  Against 
some  of  these  I  would  have  to  contend  in  my  editorial 
career,  and  I  was  not  stupid  enough  to  imagine  that 
the  way  to  win  a  battle  is  to  underestimate  the  enemy's 
power.  I  had  looked  over  the  field,  considered  the 
difficulties,  and  can  sum  up  all  by  saying  that  I  had 
faith  in  God  and  accepted  His  call. 

When  a  man  undertakes  such  a  public  work  he 
must  be  prepared  for  censure  as  well  as  for  praise, 
for  war  as  well  as  for  peace.  It  seemed  to  me  inevit- 
able, that  if  I  would  unwaveringly  pursue  my  purpose 
to  do  God's  will  by  making  the  Standard  an  unflinch- 
ing witness  of  His  truth  as  the  Lutheran  Church  con- 
fesses it,  not  everybody  would  welcome  it  as  a  dear 
friend,  but  that  some  would  antagonize  it.  The 
thought  of  making  the  paper  a  financial  success  at  all 
hazards  and  at  every  sacrifice  conducive  to  this  end, 
never  haunted  me.    What  I  wanted  was  to  make  it  a 

faithful  servant  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

291 


fetot^  of  9^v  fiite 


If  it  could  not  live  with  such  a  mission,  it  might  die 
for  aught  I  cared.  So  number  after  number  was  pre- 
pared and  sent  forth  in  the  cheering  belief  that  another 
little  contribution  was  made  towards  spreading  the 
light  of  the  Reformation  among  the  people  and  thus 
glorifying  God,  whom  I  was  intent  on  serving  and 
whom  I  wanted  the  paper  to  serve.  Therefore  the  edit- 
ing, and  any  attacks  made  upon  me  for  the  truth  which 
I  published,  worried  me  little.  I  did  what  I  could  to 
perpetuate  and  propagate  the  blessed  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  Christ,  as  the  Lutheran  Church  had 
been  confessing  it  for  more  than  three  hundred  years 
and  thus  been  bringing  salvation  to  milHons  of  souls, 
and  if  the  paper,  under  the  good  providence  of  God, 
could  not  be  sustained  under  my  management,  He 
could  relieve  me  of  the  work  and  choose  a  better  in- 
strument to  compass  His  ends.  I  tried  to  do  the  Mas- 
ter's will,  and  was  content  that  He  should  provide  and 
care  for  His  servants.  Some  ready  writers  who  were 
of  the  same  mind  as  myself  were  secured,  and  the  paper 
became  more  and  more  influential;  and  when  I  took 
it  with  me  to  Columbus,  a  year  after,  it  had  not  only 
paid  all  the  expenses  of  its  one  year's  sojourn  in  Del- 
aware, but  had  increased  both  in  circulation  and  repu- 


292 


&tot?  oc  app  %itt 


tation.    The  dark  cloud  had  moved  away,  and  the  out- 
look was  brightening. 

In  Columbus  it  was  again  the  mechanical  part  of 
my  work,  not  the  editorship  proper,  that  harrassed  me. 
New  arrangements  had  to  be  made  for  continuing  the 
publication.  A  contract  was  made,  but  it  was  less 
favorable  than  had  been  secured  at  Delaware,  and  the 
work  was  inferior.  The  proof  furnished  was  bad, 
sometimes  intolerably  bad,  and  after  all  our  proofread- 
ing and  trouble  the  typographical  errors  which  re- 
mained in  the  printed  copies  were  many  and  often  in- 
excusable in  any  respectable  printing  house.  This  did 
worry  me.  My  time  was  so  fully  occupied  that  I  could 
not  go  to  the  office  every  day  to  look  after  the  fore- 
man's business.  The  office  was  a  mile  away  and  my 
hours  were  precious ;  and  yet  if  I  did  not  constantly 
look  after  the  printers  every  issue  gave  me  new  annoy- 
ance. It  was  a  great  trial  to  my  patience,  and  this 
trial  I  had  to  endure  for  months  before  I,  an  old 
printer,  succeeded  in  getting  something  like  order  into 
the  business  of  the  proprietor,  who  evidently  knew 
nothing  about  printing.  This  for  a  long  while  was  a 
greater  trouble  than  raising  money  to  pay  the  good 
price  for  his  bad  work.     Indeed,  in  the  publication  of 

the  paper  for  the  first  months  it  would  not  have  been 

293 


&tor?  ot  9^v  ^itt 


unfair  if  he  had  allowed  me  as  much  for  my  skilled 
labor  in  his  office  as  he  charged  me  for  his  unskilled 
work,  so  that  at  our  monthly  settlement  we  could  have 
called  it  even.  But  neither  of  us  lost  his  temper,  and 
after  a  while  things  went  better.  The  mailing  I  could 
not  have  left  in  charge  of  such  an  office,  even  if  the 
income  had  been  sufficient  to  cover  the  additional  ex- 
pense. So  I  had  that  drudgery  on  my  hands  as  be- 
fore. But  it  was  easier  now.  During  my  first  years  at 
Columbus  we  lived  in  the  University  building,  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  house  having  been  placed  in  my  charge. 
There  were  always  some  zmong  the  students  who  were 
ready  to  assist  me  in  any  work  they  could  do,  and  when 
publication  day  cam.e  and  the  papers  were  delivered  at 
my  room,  some  were  even  delighted  to  come  over  and 
help  us.  It  was  usually  a  pleasant  house  party,  which 
became  to  my  wife  and  children  a  matter  of  desire 
rather  than  of  dread.  Even  the  cutting  and  address- 
ing of  wrappers,  which  was  done  before  mailing  day, 
was  taken  off  my  hands  by  some  of  the  ''boys,"  who 
did  this  gladly  because  it  gave  them  the  first  chance  to 
be  of  the  party  on  packing  night. 

The  course  which  I  pursued  as  editor,  and  which 
with  my  faith  and  convictions  could  not  be  otherwise, 
led  me  into  many  controversies.     The  reason  for  this 


294 


&tot»  of  99V  ^itt 


is  not  that  I  had  any  special  delight  in  polemics.  I 
love  peace  and  quiet,  and  would  rather  suffer  wrong 
than  fight.  But  what  God  had  entrusted  to  my  keep- 
ing I  could  not  surrender  without  losing  His  favor  and 
my  peace.  My  editorship  extended  over  a  period  of 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  often  required 
me  to  say  what  I  knew  must  be  displeasing  to  men  of 
other  minds.  I  could  not  have  been  faithful  to  the 
Lord  and  His  Church  if  I  had  not  been  willing  to 
defend  the  truth  when  assaults  were  made  upon  it. 
The  grace  of  God  always  protected  me  from  the  weak- 
ness of  letting  my  natural  love  of  peace  overcome  the 
love  of  His  cause.  He  had  taught  me  to  contend  earn- 
estly for  the  faith,  and  sustained  me  in  the  purpose 
which  He  had  given  me  to  do  His  will.  It  was  the 
truth,  for  the  maintenance  and  defense  of  which  the 
Standard  was  set,  that  provoked  controversy.  It  was 
clear  to  me  that  if  the  paper  was  properly  to  fulfill  its 
mission  it  must  do  something  more  than  to  furnish 
church  news,  or  even  to  supply  its  readers  with  brief 
items  of  light  religious  reading,  with  which  an  idle 
hour  might  be  whiled  away  and  which  might  in  a  cer- 
tain sense  be  called  edifying.  Even  my  idea  of  edifi- 
cation would  not  permit  me  to  adopt  such  an  editorial 

management.     Without  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  re- 

295 


fetorp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


vealed  in  Holy  Scripture  and  an  intelligent  apprecia- 
tion of  at  least  its  principal  doctrines  there  can  be  no 
solid  and  lasting  edification,  readily  as  it  may  be  admit- 
ted that  a  sort  of  sentimental  piety  might  be  instilled  in 
souls  ignorant  of  the  way  of  salvation  and  a  wild  and 
thoughtless  activity  might  be  produced  through  an  ex- 
cited ''zeal  without  knowledge."  I  had  ample  opportu- 
nity, during  my  long  abode  in  a  Methodist  town,  to  ob- 
serve how  such  a  religious  training  works,  and  I  had 
read  enough  to  know  whither  it  leads  when  reduced  to 
a  system.  I  was  not  unaware  that  the  popular  taste  was 
against  me,  that  the  people  generally  did  not  like  long 
articles,  and  that  especially  articles  designed  to  instruct 
in  doctrine  and  that  are  called  heavy  because  they  re- 
quire attention  and  reflection  to  be  profitable,  were 
disliked.  My  opinion  was  and  is  now  that  a  journal 
which  caters  only  to  such  tastes  may  make  money, 
but  will  not  build  character.  Light  reading  will  not 
make  grave  readers.  Accordingly  I  did  not  limit  con- 
tributors, some  of  whom  I  knew  to  be  excellent  teach- 
ers, to  a  column  or  two  when  they  consented  to  write 
articles  for  instruction  on  subjects  of  importance  to 
the  Church.  Many  articles  were  thus  published  that 
are  of  permanent  value  and  that,  if  they  were  left  un- 
read by  many  subscribers,  exerted  an  educating  influ- 

296 


&tot^  ot  9^v  %itt 


ence  on  those  who  did  read  them;  and  of  such  there 
were  more  than  the  advocates  of  scraps  suspected. 
My  desire  was  to  have  at  least  one  so-called  heavy 
article  in  each  issue,  and  my  editorials  were  frequently 
of  this  class.  Meantime  I  did  not  overlook  the  wants 
of  those  who  were  not  inclined  to  read  lengthy  essays, 
but  endeavored  to  furnish  sufficient  variety  to  meet 
all  reasonable  expectations. 

It  was,  of  course,  the  long  doctrinal  article  which 
provoked  controversy,  and  mostly  it  was  the  editorials. 
I  cannot  admit  that  it  was  the  manner  of  presenting  the 
truth  rather  than  the  matter  which  gave  the  provoca- 
tion. There  were  sometimes  instances  of  wrong-doing 
which,  having  become  public,  demanded  public  rebuke 
of  the  person  or  persons;  but  these  personal  matters 
were  rarely  the  subject  of  anything  more  than  a  short 
notice,  and  it  was  an  exceptional  case  if  such  a  matter 
even  led  to  a  dispute  requiring  extended  treatment. 
Between  us  and  the  General  Synod  there  were  funda- 
mental differences,  and  when  we  exposed  and  refuted 
the  errors  which  were  there  taught  and  tolerated,  the 
papers  of  that  body  were  usually  not  silent ;  and  usu- 
ally, if  they  said  anything  that  seemed  to  challenge  a 
reply  and  to  be  worthy  of  it,  the  Standard  did  not  keep 
silence  either.    It  was  not  unexpected  that  I  was  some- 


297 


^m^  ot  Qp^  %itt 


times  charged  with  forgetting  our  motto  of  "speaking 
the  truth  in  love."  I  was  not  conscious  of  any  per- 
sonal bitterness,  though  I  waxed  warm  when  I  saw 
men  wearing  a  Lutheran  mask  while  endeavoring  to 
undermine  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  we  with 
prayer  and  labor  were  trying  in  the  Lord's  name  to 
build  up.  I  would  be  ashamed  nov/  if  I  had  seemed 
indifferent  in  the  struggle.  Sometimes  I  used  severe 
language,  because  1  meant  what  I  said,  and  did  not 
wish  that  it  should  seem  otherwise.  I  rebuked  them 
sharply,  and  must  most  emphatically  deny  that  this  is 
inconsistent  with  the  love  which  the  Holy  Spirit  gives 
and  the  Bible  requires.  I  am  glad  that  our  dear  Lord 
enabled  me  to  contribute  my  mite  towards  protecting 
our  people  against  the  insidious  leaven  of  unionistic 
General  Synodism,  and  even  of  helping  to  bring  that 
body  more  nearly  in  accord  with  the  name  which  it 
bears,  although  it  is  still  far  from  being  what  it  claims 
to  be  and  of  right  ought  to  be. 

It  was  a  grief  to  me  that  we  had  to  engage  in  con- 
troversy with  the  General  Council  also,  soon  after  its 
organization,  notwithstanding  that  its  very  purpose 
seemed  to  be  the  advancement  of  the  divine  truth 
which  was  so  dear  to  us  and  for  which  we  were  so 

earnestly  contending.     I   had   for   years   known   and 

298 


&tot^  of  ap^  %iU 


admired  some  of  its  leaders,  and  at  the  Reading  Con- 
vention I  had  become  acquainted  with  some  others 
with  whose  fervent  Lutheran  spirit  I  felt  the  deepest 
sympathy  and  whose  ability  I  fully  recognized.  If 
the  flesh  had  been  permitted  to  decide  I  would  have 
said  nothing  when  the  long-protracted  war  began. 
But  I  could  not  be  faithful  and  still  permit  wrong  to 
triumph  without  resistance.  In  the  closing  number  of 
the  Standard  for  1867  I  said :  "The  times  are  growing 
more  and  more  earnest,  and  the  dem.ands  made  upon 
the  public  journalist  are  becoming  proportionally 
greater.  Our  beloved  Church  is  passing  through 
trials,  and  can  conquer  only  by  severe  conflict  with 
the  hosts  that  are  arrayed  against  her.  The  devil  and 
the  world  are  fierce  in  their  opposition  to  her  progress. 
Foes  slander  her,  and  many  who  are  her  friends  mis- 
understand her  and  often  unwittingly  injure  her.  The 
popular  sentimental  piety  of  the  country  cannot  break 
her  earnest  appeal  to  the  Divine  Word,  as  against 
human  reason  and  human  feeling,  and  in  spite  of  all 
her  ardent  love  she  must  pass  in  its  estimation  as  cold 
and  hard  and  exclusive.  And  within  her  own  borders 
there  are  bickerings  and  dissensions.  All  these  things 
give  us  reason  to  feel  our  inability  all  the  more  deeply, 

whilst  much  that  is  transpiring  in  the  field  which  is 

299 


fetorp  of  9^v  ^itt 


assigned  for  cultivation  more  immediately  to  us,  tends 
to  discourage,  and  the  thousand  annoyances  to  which 
editors  are  heirs  keep  the  virtue  of  patience  under  con- 
stant discipline.  Shall  we  lay  down  our  pen  and  take 
our  ease  ?  We  have  other  thoughts.  Our  ability  is  of 
God,  and  when  we  are  sorely  tried  He  is  a  very  pres- 
ent help."  In  that  same  issue  the  action  of  the  first 
meeting  of  the  General  Council  was  reported,  in  ref- 
erence to  which  I  said:  "We  will  not  quote  the  re- 
marks reported  as  having  been  made  against  our 
Synod,  nor  those  which  were  uttered  in  her  defence. 
There  were  things  said  that  were  as  irrelevent  as  they 
were  unkind.  But  we  let  that  pass,  and  give  the  re- 
sult of  the  deliberations  upon  the  paper  handed  in 
by  our  committee."  Then,  after  laying  before  our 
readers  the  four  resolutions  constituting  the  action  in 
reply  to  the  Ohio  Synod's  questions,  I  continued: 
"We  will  not  conceal  the  depressing  effect  which  the 
reading  of  these  resolutions,  in  connection  with  the 
reported  debates  on  the  subject,  has  had  upon  our 
mind.  To  say  the  truth  we  have  no  respect  for  the 
formality  which  on  the  plea  of  order  shirks  questions 
of  conscience.  To  give  an  account  of  their  faith  and 
oflfer  a  reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  them  is  men's 
right,  which  no  constitutions  have  any  business  to  in- 

300 


&t0r?  of  9^v  ^itt 


fringe  and  which,  we  are  persuaded,  the  constitution 
of  the  Council  was  never  meant  to  Hmit.  It  would 
be  sad  if  this  body  had  so  tied  its  hands  that  it  could 
give  an  utterance  on  life-questions  in  the  Church  only 
when  one  of  the  synods  belonging  to  it  presents  them 
in  due  form.  It  is  a  little  uncomfortable  to  observe 
the  implied  censure  of  us,  as  mere  outsiders,  for  pre- 
suming to  ask  questions,  the  answer  to  which  was 
desired  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the  way  that  we 
might  not  remain  outsiders.  Still,  such  a  mistake 
shall  not  be  allowed  to  estrange  us.  We  still  hope 
that  the  day  is  approaching  when  we  shall  be  able  to 
unite.  Nor  do  we  resign  this  hope  because  of  the 
grief  which  we  feel  on  account  of  the  Council's  con- 
duct with  reference  to  our  English  District.  It  would 
have  been  generous,  even  if  members  of  the  Council 
did  not  think  justice  demanded  it,  if  the  delegation 
of  a  District  sending  representatives  to  unite  with  the 
Council  in  defiance  of  the  action  of  the  body  of  which 
it  formed  a  part,  had  been  respectfully  requested  to 
wait  until  its  relation  to  the  Joint  Synod  had  been 
clearly  ascertained  and  the  conflict  into  which  it  has 
seen  fit  to  enter  with  that  body  had  been  settled.  The 
Joint  Synod  cannot  take  it  kindly  that  the  Council  saw 
fit  to  receive  a  small  portion  of  our  Synod  in  spite 


301 


fetors  ot  99v  ^itt 


o(  the  declaration  of  the  whole  body  that  we  could  not 
at  present  unite."  "The  answer  which  the  Council 
gave  to  the  Iowa  Synod,  to  which  answer  our  Synod 
is  referred,  is  so  unsatisfactory  that  the  lowaans  re- 
fused to  connect  themselves  with  the  Council,  and 
the  Synod  of  Wisconsin  dissented  from  it.  Upon  this, 
in  connection  with  an  editorial  in  the  Lutheran  and 
Missionary,  which  will  surprise  many  in  the  General 
Council  as  it  did  us,  and  for  which,  we  trust,  the 
Council  would  not  like  to  be  held  responsible,  we  shall 
have  something  more  to  say  in  a  future  number." 
Thus  the  long  controversy  with  the  General  Council 
began. 

I  have  made  these  extracts  from  the  Standard 
of  that  time  to  show  that  it  was  in  sorrow,  not  in 
anger,  that  I  engaged  in  the  controversy.  The  griev- 
ance was  one  of  the  gravest  import.  I  did  not  im- 
pugn the  motives  of  the  persons  whose  action  was 
reproved.  God  is  judge  of  human  hearts,  and  in  that 
respect  He  has  not  only  not  committed  the  judgment 
to  us,  but  has  forbidden  us  to  usurp  it.  But  wrong 
was  done,  and  if  the  people  who  did  it  thought  they 
were  doing  right,  that  error  did  not  change  the  open 
fact.  And  it  was  a  wrong  which  menaced  our  Synod's 
life.     We  had  struggled  for  years,  amid  many  diffi- 


302 


&tDt^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


culties,  to  awaken  in  our  people  a  consciousness  of 
our  precious  inheritance  as  the  great  Church  of  the 
Reformation,  and  God  had  blessed  our  labors  with 
much  success.  The  errors  and  misunderstandings  and 
doubts  which  had  existed  among  us  had  been  largely 
overcome.  Lutherans  were  beginning  to  feel  that  their 
Church,  poor  and  much  despised  in  the  land,  was 
something  to  glory  in  rather  than  to  be  ashamed  of, 
and  that  her  mission  was  to  lead  the  Protestant  host, 
not  to  ape  the  sects  and  barter  away  her  solid  gold 
for  their  gaudy  tinsel.  It  was  laudable  that  the  Ohio 
Synod  was  ready  to  unite  with  others  in  the  East 
who  were  enlisted  in  the  same  cause,  so  soon  as  this 
could  be  done  without  sacrificing  what  it  had  by  per- 
severing labor  and  patient  suffering  attained.  Ohio 
did  its  part  towards  eft'ecting  a  general  union  of  Lu- 
theran forces.  But  when  the  time  came  for  organiz- 
ing them  in  the  General  Council,  assurances  could  not 
be  given  us  that  that  body  would  carry  out  the  prin- 
ciples professed,  but  thought  it  best  to  shirk  our 
questions  and  act  as  if  it  had  been  presumptuous  on 
our  part  to  ask  them.  And  more  than  this.  One  of 
our  Districts  had  some  men  in  it  who  were  not  fully 
in  harmony  with  our  Synod's  forward  movement  on 

the  path  of  confessional  Lutheranism  and  consistent 

303 


&tpr^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


practice.  These  men  had  a  shrewd  leader,  and  in  con- 
sequence there  had  for  several  years  past  been  trouble 
with  that  District,  which  refused  to  comply  with  reso- 
lutions of  Synod.  When  the  Council  was  organized 
the  disaffected  party  secured  a  majority  and  carried 
the  District  independently  into  that  body.  Our  Synod 
declared  that  it  could  not  join  the  Council  as  long  as 
it  refused  to  give  a  Lutheran  answer  to  questions 
which  we  regarded  as  vital.  The  District  paid  no  at- 
tention to  this,  resolved  to  escape  any  further  trouble 
with  us  by  taking  refuge  in  the  Council,  and  was  there 
received  with  open  arms.  Looking  at  the  affair  now, 
after  an  interval  of  nearly  forty  years,  my  judgment 
remains  the  same  as  then,  that  war  was  inevitable. 
I  wrote  as  one  who  felt  the  wrong  done,  with  pro- 
found regret  that  the  Council  did  not  take  the  posi- 
tion upon  which  all  true  Lutherans  could  have  united, 
but  wrote  without  malice.  My  contention  was  for 
truth  and  righteousness,  and  if  the  Standard  for  years 
showed  fight,  it  was  because  it  was  set  for  the  defense 
of  the  Gospel  which  the  Lutheran  Church  is  com- 
missioned to  uphold  in  its  purity  for  the  eternal  wel- 
fare of  men.  As  long  as  I  remained  editor,  the  grace 
of  God  sustaining  me,  there  was  no  prospect  that  the 

fight  would  end,  unless  our  opponents  would  lay  down 

304 


fet0t»  Of  9$v  fiitt 


their  arms  and  permit  us  to  do  our  Lord's  work  in 
peace. 

These  controversies,  which  some,  ignorant  of  the 
Master's  ways  and  of  the  militant  character  of  His 
Church  on  earth,  thought  needless  or  even  harmful, 
were  as  important  for  the  progress  of  our  cause  as 
the  doctrinal  articles  designed  for  direct  instruction. 
A  goodly  part  of  the  opposition  to  my  teaching  on 
the  subject  of  the  Church  and  the  Ministry  in  the 
earlier  days  was  owing  in  large  part  to  a  misunder- 
standing of  the  whole  subject,  and  especially  of  the 
contention  of  those  of  us  in  our  Synod  who  were 
styled  Missourians.  It  was  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  men  who  supposed  us  to  mean,  when  we  insisted 
that  the  Church  is  essentially  invisible,  that  nothing 
visible,  not  even  the  bodies  of  believing  men,  be- 
longed to  the  essence  of  the  Church,  were  inclined 
to  doubt;  or  that,  when  we  declared  the  Lutheran 
to  be  the  only  Church  in  which  the  Gospel  is  preached 
in  its  purity  and  the  sacraments  are  administered  in 
accordance  with  the  pure  Gospel,  they,  imagining  that 
this  unchurched  all  other  Christians,  were  moved  to 
deny  it.  Our  warfare  against  the  General  Synod  and 
General  Council,  which  both  in  part  occupied  the  same 

territory  with  the  Ohio  Synod  and  which  both  did  us 
20  305 


fetotp  ot  9^v  fiitt 


damage  in  substantially  the  same  way,  served  to  clear 
up  some  important  points  in  our  contention  and  to 
draw  our  people  more  closely  together.  Our  skirm- 
ishes with  Missouri,  whose  fanatical  corporals  an- 
noyed us  less  as  their  leaders  saw  what  had  been 
accomplished  among  us,  were  gradually  ceasing  and 
peace  and  fraternal  relations  were  established,  so  that 
we  could  labor  together  with  them  in  our  effort  to 
build  up  a  pure  and  faithful  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  land.  My  conduct  of  the  Standard  of 
course  occasionally  lost  us  a  friend,  as  there  were 
still  some  among  us  who  were  unwilling  to  abandon 
their  unionistic  sentiments,  and  would  rather  leave  us 
than  bear  the  reproach  in  the  community  of  being  less 
liberal  and  loving  than  their  neighbors.  On  the  other 
hand  many  friends  were  gained  by  the  consistent 
course  which  I  pursued  in  adhering  firmly  to  the 
Confessions  of  our  Church  and  laboring  strenuously 
to  make  her  rich  treasures  of  truth  and  love  better 
known  among  the  people. 

The  Standard  became  so  welcome  a  visitor  in 
many  families  and  exerted  an  influence  so  manifestly 
beneficial  to  the  Church,  that  after  a  few  years  friends 
began  to  agitate  the  project  of  issuing  it  weekly  in- 
stead of  semi-monthly.    To  this  I  was  not  disinclined. 

306 


fetors  ot  9^v  J^itt 


As  matters  stood  in  the  Church  the  need  of  such  an 
improvement  was  apparent.  The  paper  was  now  pay- 
ing the  expense  of  its  pubHcation.  But  whether  it 
could  be  sustained  if  the  expenses  were  more  than 
doubled,  thus  making  an  increase  in  the  subscription 
price  necessary,  was  a  serious  question.  Besides,  I 
was  kept  busy  with  the  work  already  in  hand,  and 
doubted  about  my  ability  to  continue  it,  if  so  much 
additional  labor  were  required  of  me.  But  I  did  not 
discourage  my  friends  who  were  exerting  themselves 
to  bring  about  so  desirable  a  move  for  the  advance- 
ment of  our  holy  cause.  I  rather  encouraged  it  by 
indicating  how  it  could  be  done.  But  it  was  a  diffi- 
cult task  and  was  talked  about  for  years  before  it 
was  consummated.  Finally,  in  1872,  at  the  meeting 
of  our  English  District,  which  felt  the  need  all  the 
more  because  our  work  was  antagonized  by  the  party 
which  left  our  Synod  and  became  a  District  of  the 
Council,  unanimously  resolved  to  push  this  enterprise 
with  all  its  power  and  to  work  strenuously  for  its 
accomplishment.  The  conditions  necessary  to  insure 
success  were  carefully  considered,  and  a  committee  of 
energetic  men  was  appointed  to  do  the  work  requisite 
for  their  fulfillment,  and,  in  case  they  succeeded,  the 
Standard  was  in   1873  to  be  issued  weekly.     In  the 


307 


fetotp  of  9^^  %iU 


last  number  preceding  that  date  I  said  editorially: 
"Probably  none  can  fully  realize  the  difficulties  con- 
nected with  such  an  undertaking  but  those  who  have 
gathered  some  experience  in  such  matters.  Having 
had  charge  of  the  Standard  for  nine  years  we  could 
not  fully  share  the  sanguine  expectations  which  some 
of  our  brethren  entertained,  glad  as  we  would  be  to 
see  their  hopes  realized.  Some  of  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  were  set  forth  during  the  discussions,  but 
still  it  was  resolved  to  make  the  effort.  The  com- 
mittee has  been  at  work  and  has  labored  faithfully. 
But  the  time  was  short,  the  Church  hastens  slowly  in 
such  enterprises,  and  we  have  received  no  definite  in- 
structions from  the  brethren  upon  whom  the  responsi- 
bility was  placed  by  Synod.  What  now?  When  we 
assumed  the  management  of  the  Standard  the  days 
were  dark,  and  we  undertook  the  task  as  a  work  of 
faith  and  labor  of  love.  God's  blessing  has  been  upon 
us  and  the  paper  has  prospered.  It  is  perhaps  no 
more  than  fair  that  we  should  venture  something 
again  and  give  our  readers  the  benefit  of  the  paper's 
prosperity.  If  a  change  was  to  be  made,  it  was 
necessary  to  begin  making  arrangements  for  it  before 
now.  We  assumed  the  responsibility  and  have  made 
contracts  for  the  improvement  of  the  paper,  desiring 


&totv  ot  9^V  ^itt 


to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  brethren,  as  far  as  that  is 
possible,  and  hoping  to  be  sustained  in  our  undertake 
ing.  What  we  propose  to  do  now  is  this.  The  next 
number  of  the  Standard  will  be  issued  in  a  form 
about  one-third  larger  than  the  present  and  in  an 
improved  dress.  As  this  will  give  us  much  more  room, 
we  expect  to  furnish  more  matter  of  a  practical  char- 
acter and  pay  more  regard  to  family  reading,  not  over- 
looking the  wants  of  children,  while  the  confessional 
character  of  the  paper  will  remain  unchanged.  In 
our  devotion  to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  with 
her  glorious  Confessions  we  desire  only  to  abound 
more  and  more.  But  how  about  the  weekly?  Well, 
for  that  we  are  not  ready  just  now.  By  enlarging  the 
paper  and  thus  increasing  the  expenses  by  one-third, 
we  have  a  prospect  of  doing  all  our  work  for  nothing 
and  paying  several  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  the 
privilege,  taking  the  present  income  as  a  basis."  I 
think  that  this  was  fully  as  much  as  my  brethren 
could  expect  of  me.  But  in  the  same  article  I  made 
the  offer  to  publish  the  enlarged  paper  weekly  after 
the  fourth  issue  for  the  coming  year,  if  enough  sub- 
scribers would  be  secured,  at  double  the  present  price 
of  one  dollar  per  annum,  to  meet  even  approximately 
the  expenses  of  publication,  or   in  some  other  way 

30d 


fetotp  ot  ^v  fiiU 


to  protect  me  against  assuming  obligations  beyond 
my  means.  The  issue  of  January,  1873,  fulfilled  my 
promise  and  pleased  the  subscribers.  My  friends  re- 
joiced at  the  forward  movement  and  rallied  bravely 
to  give  it  support.  They  worked  so  hard  and  did  so 
well,  that  I  would  have  felt  ashamed  to  shrink  from 
doing  what  I  could  to  compass  what  they  so  ardently 
wished.  I  looked  over  my  financial  situation  and  con- 
cluded that,  without  sacrificing  my  home,  which  I 
did  not  think  it  right  to  do,  I  could  obligate  myself 
for  all  losses  in  a  year's  trial  of  the  weekly  publica- 
tion. So  after  February  the  Standard^  to  the  great 
joy  of  its  devoted  friends,  appeared  every  week.  It 
continued  to  gain  friends,  and  at  the  year's  end  there 
was  no  deficit;  and  I  had  nothing  to  pay  for  the 
privilege  of  doing  the  arduous  work  which  its  man- 
agement imposed  upon  me.  It  continued  to  flourish 
year  after  year,  and  remains  a  weekly  until  this  day, 
still  continuing  its  good  work  of  testifying  to  the 
truth  which  the  Lutheran  Church  confesses  and  teach- 
ing the  people  to  observe  all  things  which  our  blessed 
Lord  has  commanded.  During  the  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century's  work  as  editor  of  the  Standard 
I  labored  much  and  suffered  much;  but  I  have  the 
joyful  assurance  that  my  labor  was  not  in  vain  in 

310 


&tot?  ot  9^v  ^itt 


the  Lord,  and  am  thankful  for  the  grace  which  made 
me  the  humble  instrument  for  so  many  years  to  dis- 
pense His  blessings  among  the  people. 

Overburdened  as  I  was  with  work  after  the 
Standard  had  become  a  weekly,  circumstances  in  1881 
impelled  me  to  undertake  additional  editorial  labors. 
With  the  Missourians  we  had  long  been  at  peace,  and 
our  relations  had  become  so  cordial  that  we  had  united 
with  them  in  forming  the  Synodical  Conference.  It 
had  always  been  a  favorite  idea  of  mine  that  the  Luth- 
eran Church  in  this  country  should,  so  far  as  this  could 
be  done  on  the  basis  of  her  confession,  join  her  forces 
and  all  parts  work  together  for  the  spread  and  defence 
of  the  precious  truth  of  the  Reformation,  and  espec- 
ially that  different  organizations  professing  the  same 
faith  should  cease  to  place  obstacles  in  each  other's 
way  by  occupying  the  same  territory  and  pursuing 
special  synodical  interests  at  the  expense  of  the 
Church's  welfare  as  a  whole.  According  to  the  will 
of  God  churches  of  the  same  faith  must  treat  each 
other  as  brethren  and  help  each  other,  and  causing 
division  and  working  against  each  other  is  sin.  Whilst 
I  knew  quite  well  that  the  external  union  of  churches 
into  large  organizations  is  not  commanded,  I  regarded 
it  as  a  requirement  of  Christian  wisdom  and  love  to 

311 


&tor^  of  9$v  ^itt 


form  such  unions  in  order  to  avoid  interferences  with 
each  other's  work  and  to  make  the  best  possible  use 
of  the  various  gifts  and  opportunities  for  the  common 
good.  I  was  therefore  sincere  in  my  desire  to  have  our 
Synod  unite  with  other  Lutheran  Synods  in  the  Gen- 
eral Council,  and  regretted  that  the  position  taken  by 
that  body  rendered  this  impossible  without  sacrific- 
ing all  that  could  make  the  union  desirable.  Any 
scheme  of  expediency,  however  wise  it  may  seem,  is 
merely  human  folly  when  it  is  set  up  against  the 
wisdom  of  God.  Therefore  I  contended  against  the 
Council  when  it  declined  to  act  in  accordance  with  the 
good  Confession  which  it  formally  adopted.  It  was 
the  same  principle  that  actuated  me  in  my  efforts  to- 
wards securing  a  union  with  other  Synods  which, 
like  our  own,  could  not  unite  with  the  Council,  and 
I  was  therefore  glad  when  the  Synodical  Conference 
was  organized,  as  I  was  sorry  that,  from  my  point 
of  view,  the  Council  had  been  a  failure.  But  after 
six  or  eight  years  of  harmonious  co-operation  in  that 
body,  troubles  came.  The  elements  united  in  the 
Conference  were  not  in  every  respect  congenial,  but 
they  were  one  in  the  same  Lutheran  faith  and  thus 
harmonious  in  all  that  is  requisite  for  true  unity  in 
the    Church.     Some   of   our    ministers    did    not    like 

312 


fetotp  ot  9p^  JLitt 


the  supercilious  ways  of  some  of  the  Missourians, 
and  were  not  as  cordial  as  might  be  wished  even  with 
some  of  the  Missourian  leaders.  The  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota  men  were  even  less  enthusiastic  in  their  ad- 
miration of  Missourians,  and  occasionally  something 
akin  to  antipathy  was  shown  towards  some  of  them, 
who  sometimes  conducted  themselves  as  if  they  were 
not  averse  to  being  regarded  as  the  princes  of  the 
court  and  the  others  their  retinue.  Notwithstanding 
these  undesirable  manifestations  the  synods  were 
growing  together  nicely,  and  there  was  no  serious 
jarring  or  jangling  in  prosecuting  the  work  in  which 
all  were  heartily  engaged.  The  trouble  that  came  was 
of  a  doctrinal  sort.  Even  before  the  formation  of 
our  Conference,  some  views  of  predestination  had  been 
published  by  Missourian  pastors  which  had  a  Calvin- 
istic  taint.  But  this  was  not  in  their  official  organs. 
What  these  had  published  was  acceptable  to  all  of 
us.  But  in  1877  Dr.  Walther  began  to  advocate  a 
theory  which  excited  doubt  and  suspicion.  On  most 
of  us  what  was  published  in  the  minutes  of  the  Mis- 
souri Synod  made  little  impression.  It  was  a  con- 
fused discussion  of  a  difficult  subject,  and  little  notice 
was  taken  of  it  until  it  was  made  the  subject  of  in- 
quiries   among    the    Missourians    themselves.     Prof. 


313 


&totp  of  9^^  JLitt 


Schmidt,  of  the  Norwegian  Synod,  finally  made  public 
his  scruples  about  the  doctrine  of  Dr.  Walther  and 
showed  its   inconsistency  with  that  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.     Instead  of  revoking  his  error,  Dr.  Walther 
defended  it.     He  was  not  accustomed  to  any  dissent 
from   his  teaching  among  his  own  people,   and  was 
never   inclined  to   yield   a  point   when   any   of  them 
ventured  publicly  to  express  a  doubt,  which  as  a  rule 
was  done,  if  done  at  all,  in  the  way  of  a  humble  request 
for  further  light.     So  the  predestinarian  controversy 
began,  and  our  Ohio  Synod  became  entangled  in  it 
because  of  our  connection  with  the  Synodical  Confer- 
ence in  which  it  had  sprung  up,  and  which  must  ulti- 
mately accept  or  reject  the  new  doctrine.     From  the 
beginning  my    sympathies   were   entirely   with    Prof. 
Schmidt,  who  defended  the  doctrine  which  the  Lu- 
theran Church  had  been  unanimous  in  teaching  for 
three  hundred  years ;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  Dr. 
Walther  had  rather  become  confused  in  his  exposi- 
tions, and  that  when  the  matter  should  be  cleared  up 
he    would    correct    his    extravagant    expressions    and 
accept  the  uniform  teachings  of  the  old  dogmaticians, 
from  which  he  still  quoted  largely,  as  was  his  wont. 
The  printed  Minutes  by  which  the  conflagration  was 
started,  show  two  irreconcilable  lines  of  thought,  and 

314 


fetor?  ot  9p?  %itt 


I  was  loth  to  think  that  the  Calvinistic  Hne  was  de- 
signed to  be  dominant,  and  that  the  purpose  was  to 
introduce  a  mild  form  of  Calvinism.  But  as  the  con- 
troversy continued  I  could  not  close  my  eyes  to  the 
fact,  as  it  became  more  and  more  apparent,  that  Dr. 
Walther  maintained  a  theory  that  was  essentially  Cal- 
vinistic. This  was  expressed  in  the  Standard,  and  be- 
fore the  subject  cam.e  before  the  Synodical  Conference 
the  Missourians,  under  Dr.  Walther's  leadership,  had 
adopted  a  plan  by  which  all  who  were  convinced  that 
the  new  theory  was  a  species  of  Calvinism  should  be 
denied  a  seat  in  that  body.  As  they  had  a  large 
majority  in  it,  the  Ohio  Synod,  seeing  it  to  be  useless 
under  such  circumstances  to  make  any  effort  to  secure 
the  trium_ph  of  Anticalvinism  in  a  body  from  which 
any  one  attacking  Walther's  Calvinism  was  excluded, 
declared  its  withdrawal. 

What  was  to  be  done  now  in  regard  to  the  Mis- 
sourian  innovation?  Our  interest  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  with  its  pure  faith  would 
have  impelled  us  to  take  sides  against  the  Calvinistic 
movement,  which  had  the  prestige  of  a  powerful  or- 
ganization with  a  skillful  leader  in  its  favor,  even 
if  we  had  not  had  the  additional  incentive  of  having 
been  connected  with  it  and  having  been  wrongfully 

315 


&tDt^  ot  99?  mtt 


deprived  of  our  right  to  exert  in  the  Conference  such 
influence  as  we  possessed.  Our  Synod  as  in  duty 
bound  unhesitatingly  took  its  stand  against  the  inno- 
vation ;  and  if  we  were  forbidden  to  testify  in  the  Con- 
ference, Missouri  could  not  forbid  us  to  testify  in  pub- 
lic. We  must  do  what  lay  in  our  power  to  protect  our 
Synod  against  the  error,  as  well  as  help  to  preserve 
the  Lutheran  Church  in  this  land  from  the  poison  of 
Calvinism.  So  an  additional  controversy  was  forced 
upon  us.  As  editor  of  the  Standard  I  was  expected 
to  do  my  share,  and  to  the  extent  of  my  ability  I  strove 
to  meet  the  just  expectations.  But  the  subject  was 
complicated  and  required  much  space.  The  question 
became  a  burning  one,  and  extended  discussions  be- 
came necessary.  Though  the  Standard  had  been 
much  enlarged  and  was  issued  weekly,  it  could  not, 
with  justice  to  all  readers,  afford  space  enough  to  pub- 
lish all  that  our  writers  thought  it  necessary  to  say. 
There  was  no  larger  periodical  that  we  could  use  for 
the  purpose. 

As  I  viewed  the  situation,  necessity  was  thus  laid 
upon  us  to  provide  facilities  for  the  publication  of 
more  elaborate  theological  discussions.  Others  as  well 
as  myself  had  felt  the  need  of  such  a  journal  before 
this  new  controversy  was  sprung  upon  us,  and  now  it 

816 


Sitotj  nt  ^v  ^itt 


appeared  indispensable.  To  wait  until  synod  could 
deliberate  on  the  subject  and  start  such  a  new  pub- 
lication seemed  inadvisable.  Officially  I  had  no  more 
call  to  undertake  it  than  others  who  felt  the  need  of 
it,  but  as  I  was  managing  the  paper  in  which  most 
of  the  articles  of  our  synodical  brethren  appeared, 
our  German  paper  being  smaller  and  issued  only  semi- 
monthly, I  was  by  many  expected  in  some  way  to 
provide  for  the  emergency,  and  as  I  felt  the  necessity 
as  much  as  any  of  them,  I  reflected  much  on  ways  and 
means  to  supply  the  lack.  My  conclusion  was  to  pub- 
lish, at  my  own  risk,  a  bi-monthly  periodical  of  64 
pages,  and  accordingly  the  Columbus  Theological 
Magazine  appeared  in  188 1.  So  little  was  this  thought 
a  needless  venture  that  when  Synod  met  it  not  only 
accepted  it  as  its  own  organ,  but  resolved  to  publish 
a  similar  periodical  in  German,  so  that  those  capable 
of  using  both  languages  could  have  a  theological  jour- 
nal of  64  pages  each  month,  the  two  being  published 
alternately.  We  were  thus  well  equipped  for  the 
war  without  divesting  our  papers  designed  for  the  peo- 
ple generally  of  their  popular  character.  How  vigor- 
ously this  war  was  carried  on  is  evinced  by  the  fact, 
that  the  Missourian  German  theological  journal  was 
much  enlarged  and  a  similar  periodical  in  the  English 

317 


fetots  of  9??  %itt 


language  was  started,  but  proved  a  failure.  My  ven- 
ture upon  the  Magazine,  although  it  was  begun  with- 
out the  preliminary  work  considered  necessary  to  ob- 
tain subscribers,  subjected  me  to  little,  if  any,  financial 
loss,  as  with  the  help  of  my  family,  proceeding  as 
we  had  done  when  we  took  charge  of  the  Standard  in 
its  poverty  and  distress,  I  managed  the  business  and 
did  the  drudgery  work  myself.  Both  periodicals  did 
good  service  to  the  Church,  and  are  doing  good  ser- 
vice until  this  day,  although  neither  of  them  has  the 
circulation  they  ought  to  have  or  has  been  pecuniarily 
profitable,  as  both  of  them  might  be  if  more  interest 
were  shown  in  their  prosperity  by  those  whom  they 
are  designed  to  serve. 

My  editorial  labors  were  always  performed  in  con- 
nection with  the  work  of  my  calling  proper,  and  thus 
occupied  a  second  place  in  the  line  of  my  official  duties, 
but  they  formed  a  large  portion  of  my  toils  and  trou- 
bles. When  I  was  gradually  relieved  of  portions  of 
the  work  and  finally,  when  age  with  its  infirmities 
was  creeping  upon  me  and  the  burden  was  becoming 
unsupportable,  of  all  editorial  duties,  I  felt  Hke  a  gen- 
tleman of  leisure,  with  nothing  but  my  double  profes- 
sorship to  engage  my  attention.  But  as  I  look  back 
over  my  long  editorial  career  with  its  toil  and  travail, 

318 


fetotg  of  95s  ^itt 


its  hardships  and  harassments,  but  also  its  pleasures 
and  triumphs,  my  first  thought  is  not  one  of  com- 
plaint that  my  lot  was  so  hard,  but  of  thankfulness  to 
God  for  the  wide  opportunity  which  He  gave  me  to 
serve  Him  in  the  great  Church  of  the  Reformation, 
and  the  grace  with  which  He  sustained  me  and  blessed 
the  work  which  He  enabled  me  to  perform. 

I  did  not  cease  to  use  my  pen  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  when  my  editorial  responsibility  ceased.  I 
use  it  still,  and  still  in  the  cause  to  which  I  desired 
my  life  to  be  wholly  consecrated.  To  this  day  I  have 
continued  to  be  a  not  infrequent  contributor  to  the 
columns  and  pages  of  our  periodicals,  both  English 
and  German,  and  even  now,  though  old  and  infirm 
and  enfeebled  by  sickness,  I  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  my  brethren  still  welcome  the  articles 
which  God  gives  me  grace  and  strength  to  write.  I 
have  much  reason  to  think  that  my  editorial  work  was 
not  the  least  of  the  contributions  I  was  enabled  to 
make  towards  the  maintenance  of  the  pure  faith  which 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  confesses. 


319 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PROFESSOR. 

NO  doubt  it  must  to  many  have  seemed  a  rash 
act  on  my  part  to  accept  an  office  so  high  and 
so  responsible  as  that  of  a  theological  professorship 
in  Capital  University.  Taking  such  positions  and  the 
men  who  fill  them  in  our  Church  in  Europe  as  the 
standard  of  measurement,  my  abilities  were  manifestly 
inadequate,  and  if  I  had  fancied  myself  in  possession 
of  the  necessary  qualifications  for  it,  I  could  only  have 
made  myself  ridiculous.  But  the  application  of  such 
a  standard  under  existing  conditions  was  out  of  the 
question.  We  had  neither  a  great  University,  nor 
great  men,  and  had  to  adapt  ourselves  to  the  day  of 
small  things,  and  were  thankful  for  the  great  blessings 
which  God  bestowed  upon  us  in  and  through  our  small 
institution.  The  one  professor  of  Theology,  who  was 
overburdened  with  work  in  our  Seminary,  was  not  a 
great  man  as  the  world  counts  greatness,  but  he  was 
doing  a  good  work  which,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of 
His  children,  was  truly  great.     My  brethren  did  not 

make  themselves  ridiculous  when  they  called  me  to 

320 


||j|lj|!:,,,:V;V'    ^*-^^-^Mm^,A{ 


&tDtp  nt  a^s  %iU 


his  assistance,  and  I  did  not  subject  myself  to  any  just 
ridicule  when  I  considered  and  finally  accepted  the 
call.  We  had,  in  the  years  of  counsel  and  consulta- 
tion preceding  my  election,  more  than  once  thought 
of  calling  some  man  of  eminence  from  a  German  Uni- 
versity, and  always  agreed  that  the  plan  was  not  feas- 
ible. Although  for  a  while  I  favored  it,  for  I  was  not 
entirely  unaffected  by  the  dreams  of  great  things  which 
so  often  supplied  motives  for  deeds  that  were  done  in 
the  early  days  of  our  University,  I  afterwards  saw 
how  injudicious  such  a  course  would  be  in  our  situa- 
tion, and  am  glad  that  wiser  counsels  prevailed.  I  do 
not  remember  that  in  all  our  consultations,  frequently 
as  it  was  reiterated  that  we  must  strive  to  find  the 
right  man  among  ourselves,  my  name  was  ever  men- 
tioned for  the  place.  The  fact  that  I  was  unanimously 
chosen  at  the  meeting  of  Joint  Synod  in  1864  indi- 
cates that  my  name  was  probably  mentioned  more 
than  once  when  I  was  not  present,  but  so  far  as  I  can 
recollect  I  received  no  intimation  of  it  until  I  was 
nominated  and  elected  at  Synod.  Whatever  opinion  I 
may  have  had  of  my  gifts  and  attainments,  I  could  not, 
as  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  treat  the  call  lightly,  but  had 
finally  to  concur  in  the  judgment  of  Prof.  Lehmann 

that  though  we  would  not,  he  and  I,  constitute  a  bril- 
21  321 


&tor^  of  ^^  %iU 


liant  Faculty,  we  could,  with  the  Lord's  blessing  upon 
faithful  effort,  do  the  necessary  work.  I  accepted  the 
call  and  in  March,  1865,  began  my  labors  in  Columbus 
as  professor. 

There  were  other  things  besides  the  question  of 
qualification,  which  I  was  content  to  let  the  brethren 
who  knew  me  long  and  well  decide,  that  made  my 
new  position  difficult.  With  Prof.  Lehmann,  whose 
junior  colleague  I  became  in  the  Seminary,  I  had  not 
always  agreed  in  our  long  controversy  on  the  Church 
and  Ministry  and  some  practical  questions  growing 
out  of  it.  I  was  regarded  as  a  pronounced  Missourian  ; 
he  had  been  looked  upon  as  leaning  towards  Grabau- 
ianism  on  the  subjects  in  dispute.  The  fact  probably 
is  that  he  was  influenced  but  little  by  Pastor  Grabau's 
hierarchical  contention  and  in  some  points  was  not  at 
all  in  harmony  with  him,  but  that  he  did  dislike  Mis- 
souri, and  in  his  conversation  was  disposed  to  defend 
practices  which  had  been  long  observed  in  the  Ohio 
Synod,  but  which  Missourians  justly  assailed  as  incon- 
sistent with  confessional  Lutheranism.  This  made 
him  seem  on  Grabau's  side  in  his  conflict  with  Mis- 
souri. It  could  therefore  not  appear  strange  if  some 
had  doubts  v/hether  the  two  professors,  who  had  often 

stood  in  opposing  ranks  on  the  floor  of  Synod,  could 

322 


fetorp  of  9^v  ^itt 


get  along  with  each  other  in  the  Seminary.  I  had  no 
reason  to  share  these  doubts,  or  to  allow  them  to  inter- 
fere with  my  purpose  and  effort.  Notwithstanding 
our  tilts  we  had  always  been  good  friends.  I  never 
ceased  to  cherish  the  feelings  toward  him  which  are 
due  from  a  former  pupil  towards  his  teacher,  and  so 
far  as  I  was  aware  he  always  gave  me  due  credit  for 
the  uprightness  of  my  intentions  and  the  purity  of  my 
zeal  for  the  Lord's  work.  Moreover,  the  controversy 
within  our  Synod  was  nearing  a  satisfactory  close. 
Theses  had  already  been  adopted  which,  if  they  did 
not  set  forth  the  truth  as  lucidly  as  seemed  to  me  de- 
sirable, still  declared  that  truth,  showing  that  in  the 
great  principles  involved  we  were  a  unit,  and  the  dan- 
ger of  a  rupture  was  past.  Notwithstanding  my  col- 
league's antipathy  to  Missouri,  and  especially  to  some 
rude  and  inconsiderate  Missourian  methods,  the  diffi- 
culty of  our  getting  along  harmoniously  together,  both 
of  us  being  intent  on  serving  the  Lord,  did  not  seem 
to  me  great. 

There  was  another  obstacle  that  appeared  to  me 
more  formidable.  How  should  I  manage  to  make  full 
proof  of  my  professorship  under  conditions  so  unfa- 
vorable for  exerting  all  my  powers  in  its  behalf  ?  Had 
I  been  free  to  devote  my  whole  time  and  energy  to 


323 


&tDt^  oe  9©^  JLitt 


the  work,  such  a  question  would  have  Httle  relevancy. 
But  I  had  the  Standard  on  my  hands,  had  the  presi- 
dency of  Joint  Synod  to  administer,  had  the  house- 
fathership  of  the  institution  to  attend  to,  and  my  share 
of  the  general  synodical  work  in  committees  thrown 
in  for  good  measure.  No  other  provision  could  at  once 
be  made  for  the  editorship  which  had  just  come  to  me 
a  year  before,  and  the  paper  was  far  yet  from  having 
reached  a  sound  financial  basis ;  and  the  housefather- 
ship  was  for  the  time  an  important  item  in  my  call  as 
Professor.  Declining  further  to  bear  the  burdens 
which  Synod  had  previously  laid  upon  me  would  have 
been  equivalent  to  refusing  to  accept  the  new  call, 
which  implied  that  I  should  resign  my  charge  of  a 
congregation  and  give  my  entire  time  and  strength 
to  synodical  work,  retaining  all  that  I  had  hitherto, 
but  substituting  the  professorship  for  the  pastorate. 
These  conditions  caused  me  much  more  anxiety  than 
any  fears  that  Professor  Lehmann  and  I  would  find  it 
impossible  to  live  together  and  work  together  in  peace. 
And  yet  I  accepted  the  call  and  went  to  work  with  a 
determination  by  the  grace  of  God  to  quit  myself  as 
a  workman  who,  considering  all  the  circumstances 
that  hampered  me,  needeth  not  be  ashamed. 

But  I  hardly  had  a  fair  chance  in  the  beginning 
324 


fetor?  ot  9??  %itt 


of  my  proper  professional  career  to  remove  any  doubts 
that  might  be  lingering  in  the  minds  of  brethren, 
whether  my  appointment  would  not  prove  a  mistake. 
While  my  resolution  was  fixed,  that  the  other  work 
which  it  behooved  me  to  do  should  not  unnecessarily 
interfere  v^^ith  my  duties  as  Professor,  which  I  v/ould 
not  but  regard  as  my  chief  vocation,  and  while  I  strove 
so  to  arrange  my  work  that  all  would  be  done  in  due 
order  at  the  proper  time,  so  that  clashing  interferences 
would  not  be  necessary,  there  were  some  duties  incum- 
bent on  me  as  housefather  which  could  not  be  thus 
regulated,  though  certain  hours  could  be  definitely 
appointed  when  students  might  freely  consult  me, 
emergencies  which  seemed  to  justify  calling  me,  or 
calling  upon  me,  at  other  hours  than  those  appointed 
were  so  frequent  and  sometimes  so  urgent,  that  no  rule 
of  order  could  protect  me  against  the  trespass  on  time 
otherwise  allotted.  As  the  time  set  apart  for  prepara- 
tion was  thus  sometimes  greatly  infringed  upon,  I 
could  not  do  full  justice  to  the  preparatory  work  in 
my  study,  which  might  not  much  embarrass  an  experi- 
enced teacher,  but  which  could  not  fail  to  cause  anxiety 
and  mar  the  teaching  in  a  beginner.  And  there  was 
another  circumstance  that  worked  against  me.  Whilst 
I  was  rusty  in  all  branches,  even  those  which  were 

325 


btot^  oi  9^v  ^itt 


assigned  me  in  college,  and  could  not  without  devoting 
the  proper  time  to  preparation  for  it  enter  the  class 
room  with  any  assurance,  the  first  branch  that  I  was 
required  to  teach  in  the  Seminary  was  one  about  which 
I  knew  little,  and  for  which  I  never  had  a  liking.  It 
was  a  trying  situation.  A  man  who  knows  how  to 
study,  and  who  applies  himself  with  diligence  to  his 
task  can,  of  course,  keep  in  advance  of  his  students, 
and  may  conceal  from  them  the  unfortunate  fact  that 
he  is  not  master  of  his  subject.  The  circumstances 
under  which,  all  things  being  considered,  this  is  the 
best  that  can  be  done,  it  may  be  permitted ;  and  much 
must  be  tolerated  in  a  beginner,  who  will  do  things 
better  when  by  experience  he  becomes  more  able.  I 
moved  along  with  the  class,  notwithstanding  my  lack 
of  enthusiasm  for  the  subject,  and  when  I  had  my 
second  class  in  Isagogics,  which  is  the  distasteful 
branch  referred  to,  I  not  only  got  along  better,  but  by 
disregarding  what  I  thought  useless  in  the  text  book 
formerly  employed  and  substituting  an  outline  of  the 
contents  of  the  Biblical  books  by  way  of  introduction 
to  their  study,  I  think  it  made  the  subject  much  more 
interesting  and  its  study  much  more  profitable.  But 
my  first  year  put  me  to  a  hard  trial,  and  it  is  a  signal 
manifestation  of  the  goodness  of  God  that  my  hard 

326 


htotv  of  ^v  ^itt 


work  was  not  pronounced  a  failure  and  my  friends 
were  not  discouraged,  as  probably  would  have  been 
the  case  if  my  wrestling  with  Isagogics  had  consti- 
tuted the  sum  of  my  labors. 

It  would  not  be  correct,  if  I  stated  it  as  my  recol- 
lection that  the  initial  year  of  m.y  professorship  was 
one  of  positive  unhappiness.  At  least  part  of  the 
worry  which  I  experienced  was  expected  and  I  was 
prepared  for  it ;  and  some  of  my  labors  were  satisfac- 
tory to  me,  and  I  think  to  all  concerned.  Probably 
the  most  of  my  disturbing  experiences  were  such  as 
are  incident  to  all  efforts  in  an  untried  field,  and  the 
humiliations  were  mostly  a  consequence  not  of  indica- 
tions that  my  work  was  not  appreciated  by  others, 
but  of  my  consciousness  that  it  fell  far  short  of  my 
ideal  and  aim,  and  was  thus  subject  to  severe  criticism 
by  my  own  judgment. 

I  kept  in  close  communication  with  my  Lord,  and 
my  soul  was  at  peace,  notwithstanding  the  felt  imper- 
fection of  my  labors.  I  was  not  unhappy.  Never  for 
a  moment  did  I  entertain  the  idea  of  retiring  from  the 
field  because  of  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day.  My 
thought  was  that  I  must  do  better,  and  by  the  grace  of 
God  would  do  better,  and  my  trust  and  endeavors  were 
not  put  to  shame.    But  it  was  a  severe  probation,  ren- 

327 


fetotg  ot  9^^  %iU 


dered  all  the  more  severe  because  I  did  not  enjoy 
robust  health  and  because  the  order  and  discipline  of 
the  school  was  far  from  satisfactory.  While  only  the 
order  of  the  house,  not  the  general  supervision  of  the 
school,  was  placed  under  my  care,  the  one  necessarily 
affected  the  other.  Since  the  time  of  the  Reynolds 
regime  there  had  been  a  lack  of  punctuality  all  around. 
This  worked  injuriously,  as  it  always  must,  though 
some  good  men  fail  to  see  it.  And  this  troubled  me. 
Boys  would  not  easily  be  led  to  recognize  the  evil  of 
that  which  some  of  the  teachers  practiced,  although 
their  logic  was  evidently  at  fault  when  they  argued 
that  what  was  excusable  in  the  teacher,  could  not  be 
wrong  in  the  pupil.  In  some  instances,  too,  I  would 
not  admit  that  a  teacher's  absence,  when  the  time  for 
recitation  had  arrived,  was  excusable.  To  look  after 
that  was  not  my  business,  but  as  I  had  a  proper  inter- 
est in  the  prosperity  of  our  institution,  it  certainly  con- 
cerned me,  and  in  so  far  concerned  me  more  than 
others,  as  I  was  the  housefather  and  Had  to  see  to  it 
that  our  students  learned  to  observe  order.  It  required 
all  the  wisdom  of  which  I  was  capable  to  do  my  duty 
towards  the  boys  without  seeming  to  be  a  busybody 
about  other  men's  matters.  Prof.  Lehmann,  who  was 
President  and  whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  classes 

328 


fetor?  0t  Spg  %IU 


were  properly  and  promptly  attended  to,  was  by  reason 
of  his  other  avocations  not  only  unable  to  perform 
this  function  of  his  office,  but  unable  to  be  punctual 
himself  in  the  class-room.  He  was  pastor  of  a  large 
congregation,  and  frequently  pastoral  duties  detained 
him  many  minutes  beyond  the  time  for  his  lectures, 
sometimes  even  for  an  hour  or  more,  so  that  the  stu- 
dents were  never  sure  when  they  would  be  called  to 
recite.  His  hours  were  when  he  rang  his  bell ;  that  is 
about  all  that  was  certain.  One  or  two  of  the  other 
teachers  had  accustomed  themselves  to  consult  their 
own  convenience  more  than  was  meet,  as  regards  this 
point,  and  scarcely  placed  punctuality  in  the  category 
of  a  teacher's  virtues.  Years  passed  before  we  suc- 
ceeded in  ridding  ourselves  of  an  evil  that  reflected 
so  little  credit  on  our  school.  But  things  became  grad- 
ually better,  and  I  carried  my  burdens  with  better 
cheer. 

Meantime  our  synodical  work  was  improving  in 
other  directions.  The  conflicts  on  the  Church  and 
Ministry  question  had  wellnigh  ceased,  and  brethren 
had  generally  laid  aside  the  distrust  which  some  enter- 
tained during  the  heat  of  the  strife.  Our  relations  as 
members  of  the  Faculty  were  all  that  could  be  desired. 
Prof.  Lehmann  still  differed  with  me  in  regard  to  some 

329 


fetors  oe  9^v  ^itt 


persons  and  things,  but  our  intercourse  with  each 
other  was  fraternally  cordial.  So  far  as  was  appar- 
ent, he  was  the  only  one  of  the  teachers  who  dissented 
from  some  of  my  views  on  synodical  questions,  and 
he  rarely  objected  to  recommendations  which  I  thought 
it  necessary  to  make  as  President  of  Synod.  The  only 
real  trouble  that  remained  was  the  strangely  disloyal 
attitude  of  the  majority  of  our  English  District  to- 
wards the  Joint  Synod  in  its  stubborn  refusal  to  co- 
operate with  us  on  the  secret  society  question,  notwith- 
standing its  repeated  declaration  that  we  were  right 
in  opposing  lodgery  and  that  they  were  as  sincere  as 
we  in  their  opposition  to  the  evil.  Even  the  Missou- 
rians,  who  had  found  so  much  fault  with  us,  often  not 
without  reason,  but  sometimes  seemingly  from  habit, 
saw  that  we  conscientiously  endeavored  to  establish 
purely  Lutheran  congregations  and  were  faithful  in 
our  adherence  to  the  Lutheran  confessions  in  doctrine 
and  practice  and  spoke  more  kindly  of  us,  so  that  even 
my  colleague  in  the  Seminary  became  more  concilia- 
tory. 

When  the  rupture  took  place  in  the  General  Synod 
and  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania  issued  its  call 
for  a.  convention  of  Lutheran  Synods  accepting  our 
Confessions,  with  the  view  of  forming  a  new  general 

330 


&tot^  Dt  9^V  ^itt 


organization  of  a  more  decidedly  Lutheran  character, 
our  Synod  cheerfully  accepted  the  invitation  to  co-op- 
erate, and  Prof.  Lehmann  and  I,  who  were  in  full 
accord  with  the  object,  were  delegated  to  attend  the 
Convention  at  Reading  in  December  of  1866.  I  went 
there  with  the  sincere  desire  to  assist,  to  the  full  ex- 
tent of  my  power,  in  accomplishing  the  end.  My  hopes 
were  not  as  sanguine  as  those  of  some  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vanians,  who  had  gone  out  of  the  General  Synod  in 
despair  of  ever  making  that  a  soundly  Lutheran  body. 
Our  controversies  had  convinced  me  that  to  this  end 
something  more  was  needed  than  the  leaders  in  the 
new  movement  had  hitherto  contended  for  in  their 
former  connection,  and  I  did  not  harbor  the  delusion 
that  the  deliberations  of  a  few  days  would  remove  all 
differences  between  us. 

But  circumstances  were  favorable  to  a  calm  dis- 
cussion of  vital  questions  regarding  the  unity  of  the 
Church,  and  getting  together  and  ultimately  growing 
together,  by  participation  in  the  same  life  with  its 
divine  power,  did  not  seem  to  me  impossible.  As  I 
was  honored  with  the  appointment,  which  I  accepted 
with  trembling,  to  preach  the  opening  sermon,  I  had 
a  good  opportunity  to  say,  at  the  very  outset,  what  in 
mv  judgment  the  situation  required,  and  I  said  it  as 

331 


&tot^  of  ^v  ^itt 


plainly  and  as  frankly  as  if  I  had  been  addressing 
our  own  Synod ;  which  always  gave  me  credit  for 
meaning  what  I  say  and  not  leaving  in  doubt  what 
I  mean.  The  sermon  was  well  received;  not  a  com- 
plaint was  made  that  its  note  was  too  high ;  the 
speeches  and  actions  of  the  Convention  were  pitched 
in  the  same  key,  and  all  was  harmonious.  Even  those 
few  who  dissented,  when  it  was  resolved  to  organize 
the  new  union  of  synods,  did  not  object  to  the  basis, 
but  thought  that  further  conferences  should  be  held 
before  organizing  the  General  Council.  So  far  all 
was  well,  and  to  me  the  outlook  was  even  more 
hopeful  when  the  Convention  adjourned  than  when  it 
was  opened. 

The  days  at  Reading  are  among  the  delightful 
memories  of  my  life.  I  had  the  joy  of  meeting  there 
some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
hearing  them  express  a  love  for  the  Church  as  it 
burned  in  my  own  soul  and  uttering  it  in  words  of 
eloquence  which  I  could  not  command.  In  the  dis- 
cussions at  the  Convention  and  in  the  conversations 
at  our  lodgings  there  was  uniformly  the  same  mani- 
festation not  only  of  intellectual  power,  but  also  of 
ardent  devotion  to  Christ  and  His  Church.  The  im- 
pression  which   I   received   was   such   that   it   would 

332 


Storg  0t  ^v  ^itt 


have  seemed  strange,  if  I  had  found  it  in  my  heart 
to  say  that  I  could  not  join  these  men  in  their  stren- 
uous efforts  to  secure  a  fitting  place  in  our  favored 
land  for  the  glorious  Church  of  the  Reformation.  It 
was  a  pleasant  experience,  though  the  results  v^ere 
not  such  as  I  had  hoped.  There  was  an  insurmount- 
able obstacle  which  had  not  yet  appeared  in  the  trans- 
actions at  Reading,  but  the  existence  of  which  was 
no  doubt  suspected,  if  not  certainly  known,  by  the 
few  who  maintained  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come 
for  a  regular  organization,  but  that  further  prepara- 
tions should  be  m.ade  for  it  in  free  conferences.  Con- 
fessing in  words,  and  following  up  that  confession  by 
corresponding  acts,  are  two  distinct  things.  That  is 
what  caused  the  trouble. 

If  my  purpose  in  life  had  been  shaped  by  the 
desires  of  the  flesh,  my  trip  to  Reading  might  have 
resulted  in  changing  my  whole  subsequent  career. 
My  colleague  and  I  had  agreed  to  make  a  little  ex- 
cursion, after  the  Convention,  to  visit  his  relations  in 
Philadelphia  and  vicinity.  This  becoming  known,  I 
was  requested  by  two  of  the  pastors  in  that  city  to 
preach  there  on  the  following  Sunday,  to  which  I 
reluctantly  consented.  Another  pastor  apologized  to 
me  for  not  inviting  me  to  perform  the  same  service 

333 


&tor?  0f  ^)?  JLitt 


in  his  church,  as  arrangements  previously  made  pre- 
cluded this  courtesy.  Evidently  views  of  such  mat- 
ters in  the  East  were  different  from  those  prevailing 
among  us,  and  I  was  constrained  to  reply  that  not 
the  least  apology  was  due,  but  that  I  rather  regarded 
it  as  a  favor  to  be  relieved  of  the  necessity  of  making 
an  apology  for  declining,  to  which  he  answered  that 
such  opportunities  to  preach  in  influential  churches 
sometimes  led  to  results  very  beneficial  for  the  visit- 
ing preachers.  From  all  I  could  gather  I  concluded 
that  my  Philadelphia  friends  designed  to  honor  me 
by  their  invitations,  and  even  incidentally  do  me  a 
not  unimportant  favor  by  laying  on  me  the  task  of  pre- 
paring and  preaching  sermons  among  strangers,  in- 
stead of  permitting  me  to  enjoy  a  few  days  of  leisure 
and  of  pleasure  in  visiting  friends.  On  Sunday  morn- 
ing I  occupied  Dr.  Krotel's  pulpit  in  St.  Mark's 
Church,  and  all  the  indications  were  that  I  preached 
acceptably.  The  pastor,  who  himself  conducted  the 
services  at  the  altar,  made  a  few  remarks,  giving  the 
congregation  some  information  about  me  and  compli- 
menting me  and  my  sermon  more  than  was  merited, 
but  all  in  good  taste  and  without  any  gushing  flatteries 
that  would  make  a  modest  man  hide  his  face  in  shame. 
Dr.  Krotel  was  about  to  remove  to  New  York,  and 

334 


^mv  ot  m  ^itz 


was  looking  about  for  a  successor.     The  subject  was 
broached  to  me  on  that  occasion  and  in  letters  after- 
wards.    He  frankly  informed  me  that  he  desired  me 
to  become  his  successor,  not  only  in  his  congregation, 
but  also   in  the   Philadelphia   Seminary.     An   official 
letter  also  came  to  me  from  the  congregation,  inquir- 
ing about  the  prospects  of  my  entertaining  a  call.     If 
money  or  social  standing  or  honors  had  been  my  aim, 
the  opportunity  might  have  been  seized  with  avidity. 
As  it  was,  I  could  not  otherwise  than  think  that  the 
place  assigned  me  here  in   Columbus   is  the  one  in 
which  I  can  do  most  good  for  the  cause  to  which 
my  life  has  been  devoted,  and  I  could  give  no  encour- 
agement to  any   movements  looking  to  my  transfer 
to  another  field.     No  doubt  it  was  also  in  some  way 
owing  to  acquaintance  formed  in  my  Reading  jour- 
ney that  another  congregation,  in  a  different  Eastern 
city,  communicated  with  me  in  regard  to  its  vacant 
pastorate,   and   was   answered    in   the   same   way.     I 
was  becoming  accustomed  to  the  work  of  my  profes- 
sorship, had  won  the  confidence  of  my  brethren,  was 
supplied  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  enjoyed 
the  blessing  of  God  in  all  my  various  labors:  why 
should  I  yield  to  any  solicitations  to  enter  another 
field,  unless  my  Lord  should  give  me  clear  indications 

335 


&tor^  ot  9$v  ^itt 


that  He,  who  had  given  me  grace  to  be  His  willing 
servant,  wanted  me  elsewhere. 

Our  Synod  sent  a  committee  to  the  meeting  of 
representatives  of  the  various  Synods  which  organ- 
ized the  General  Council  in  the  following  year.  This 
committee  was  instructed  to  submit  certain  questions, 
answers  to  which  were  considered  necessary  in  order 
to  decide  whether  we  could  unite  with  the  new  body 
or  not.  These  formed  the  famous  ''four  points," 
which  have  been  a  subject  of  controversy  ever  since. 
There  were  among  the  leaders  of  the  Pennsylvanians 
some  men  who  vv'ere  known  to  be  advocates  of  the 
doctine  called  Chiliasm,  and  at  least  one  of  them  was 
distinguished  as  a  leading  writer  in  the  party  en- 
deavoring to  disseminate  that  error  in  different  Chris- 
tian denominations.  The  Council  formally  accepted 
the  Augsburg  Confession,  in  which  those  who  put  it 
forth  as  the  declaration  of  their  faith  say,  that  "They 
condemn  others  also  who  now  scatter  Jewish  opinions 
that  before  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  the  godly  shall 
occupy  the  kingdom,  of  the  world,  the  wicked  being 
everywhere  suppressed."  What  we  desired  to  know 
of  the  Council  was  whether  it  joined  with  us  in  the 
condemnation  of  this  false  doctrine.  It  might  have 
seemed   unnecessary  and,   as  the   Council  had  unre- 


O        tj 


Eh        E 

U 


fetot^  oC  9^v  ^itt 


servedly  adopted  the  Augsburg  Confession  as  its  own, 
even  offensive  to  ask  such  a  question,  as  the  asking 
manifestly  implied  some  doubt  about  the  matter;  but 
the  circumstances  were  such  as  not  only  to  warrant,  but 
to  require  a  definite  declaration  on  the  point.  The 
same  was  the  case  with  regard  to  the  two  questions 
embracing  the  subject  of  unionism  with  other  churches, 
that  of  exchange  of  pulpits  by  our  pastors  with  pas- 
tors of  churches  of  a  different  confession  and  that 
of  promiscuous  communion,  or  of  admitting  members 
of  other  churches  to  the  Lord's  Supper  in  our  con- 
gregations. As  in  the  acceptance  of  our  Confession 
the  Council  rejected  the  errors  which  conflict  with  the 
truth  thus  confessed,  this  might  have  seemed  sufficient 
to  guarantee  the  Council's  agreement  with  us  in  the 
rejection  of  all  unionistic  practices.  But  we  knew 
what  most  of  the  synods  now  represented  in  that  body 
had  heretofore  been  doing  in  this  respect,  notwith- 
standing their  professed  adoption  of  our  Lutheran 
Confession  as  their  standard,  and  therefore  could  not, 
without  sinful  indifference  respecting  a  matter  of 
serious  import,  assume  that  now  all  would  be  so 
changed  that  no  practice  offensive  to  us  and  injurious 
to  our  work  would  be  sanctioned.     Indeed,  if  it  was 

the  purpose  of  the  Council  henceforth  to  adopt  a  prac- 
22  337 


&tot^  of  9^^  %itt 


tice  in  consistency  with  its  confession,  what  we  desired 
of  it  was  as  needful  for  its  own  sake  as  for  ours, 
because  those  who  had  been  pursuing  a  different 
course  would  have  had  a  right  to  know  what  was  to  be 
expected,  as  we  had  the  duty  of  ascertaining,  if  we 
could  with  a  good  conscience  share  the  responsibility 
of  what  it  proposed  to  do  in  a  matter  of  such  grave 
importance.  The  answer  given  us  was  ample  proof 
that  our  caution  was  none  too  great.  The  Council 
was  not  prepared  to  give  a  response  that  could  satisfy 
a  synod  which  had  fought  its  way  through  hostile 
crowds  of  indifferentists  and  liberalists  and  unionists 
to  a  position  of  confessional  Lutheranism  without  re- 
servations, and  with  such  sincerity  of  profession  as 
carried  with  it  the  conviction  that  our  practice  must 
needs  be  in  harmony  with  it.  The  Council  could  not 
be  brought  to  accept  as  heartily  the  negative  as  the 
positive  declaration  of  our  Confession,  and  we  were 
therefore  not  agreed  and  could  not  walk  together. 

To  me  this  subject  was  often  embarrassing,  as 
my  position  was  such,  not  only  as  a  theological  pro- 
fessor, but  also  as  President  of  our  Synod  and  editor 
of  our  English  paper,  that  to  keep  silent  would  have 
been  neglecting  duty.  It  was  not  that  the  subject  itself 
was  perplexing.     To  understand  it  did  not  appear  to 


338 


btotv  ot  9^»  %itt 


me  very  difficult.  If  Christ  is  our  Saviour,  those  who 
teach  that  He  is  not  are  false  teachers  whom  we  must 
avoid;  whether  in  the  eyes  of  the  community  they  are 
otherwise  good  men  or  bad  men,  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  question.  If  the  doctrines  which  the  Lu- 
theran Church  confesses  are  the  very  truth  of  the 
gospel,  the  doctrines  of  other  churches  which  are  con- 
fessedly in  opposition  to  hers  must  be  false,  and  so 
far  subversive  of  the  gospel ;  and  therefore  with  the 
same  faith  and  fervor  with  which  the  former  are  up- 
held the  latter  must  be  opposed.  If  the  Lutheran 
Church  confesses  the  very  truth  of  God,  which  has  been 
graciously  revealed  for  the  enlightenment  and  salva- 
tion of  all  men,  the  Roman  and  the  Reformed  Churches 
which  fight  against  any  portion  of  that  truth,  are  so 
far  fighting  against  God,  and  must  not  in  any  man- 
ner be  supported  or  encouraged  in  that  fight,  and  can- 
not be  without  sin.  If  we  Lutherans  are  in  conscience 
bound  to  teach  our  children  the  precious  gospel  truth 
contained  in  our  Catechism,  and  to  make  their  accept- 
ance of  that  truth  the  condition  of  their  reception  to 
Holy  Communion  in  our  churches,  we  are  doubly 
bound  not  to  admit  members  of  other  churches,  who 
by  such  membership  have  been  upholding  contrary 
doctrines,  so  long  as  they  refuse  to  fulfill  the  con- 


339 


fetot?  ot  flpp  %itt 


ditions  of  communion  from  which  our  own  people 
cannot  be  dispensed.  The  subject  itself  is  plain,  and 
becomes  intricate  and  tangled  only  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  irrevelant  matter,  with  which  sophistical  union- 
ists are  apt  to  muddle  it  and  mislead  the  unwary. 
But  circumstances  rendered  it  a  delicate  subject.  I 
could  not  conceal  from  myself  the  fact,  that  there 
was  a  fault  in  professing  a  truth  to  be  an  article  of 
our  Lutheran  faith  and  at  the  same  time  refusing 
to  treat  it  as  such  in  dealing. with  members  of  other 
denominations  who  deny  that  truth.  It  would  be  re- 
garded as  uncharitable,  or  even  unjust  to  affirm  that, 
so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  judge  from  the  data  given, 
the  article  confessed  must  in  such  a  case  be  considered 
a  mere  human  opinion,  which  need  not  be  maintained 
as  against  those  who  hold  a  contrary  opinion ;  or  that 
the  truth  in  regard  to  the  point  at  issue  is  not  part 
of  the  clear  revelation  of  God's  will,  to  which  Holy 
Scripture  bears  testimony  by  divine  inspiration.  The 
appearance  unquestionably  is  that  professed  Lutherans 
by  their  unionistic  action  practically  declare,  that  while 
they  hold  the  Lutheran  Confession  to  be  true,  they 
will  not  deny  that  opposite  doctrines  may  be  true  also. 
The  result  would  thus  be  that  in  their  opinion  either 
the  distinctive  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran  Church  must 

340 


&t0te  ot  a^e  %iu 


be  classed  with  human  opinions  which  have  no  clear 
warrant  in  God's  Word,  or  that  this  Word  is  not  of 
such  absolute  authority  that  such  doctrines  could  be 
rightfully  maintained  when  a  multitude  of  men,  whose 
Christian  character  is  not  denied,  refuse  to  accept 
them.  There  were  abler  men  in  the  General  Council 
than  the  Ohio  Synod  possessed,  and  these  were  men 
whose  earnest  purpose  to  serve  the  Lord  none  of  us 
disputed.  But  their  unionistic  position  was  wrong, 
and  we  had  to  oppose  it,  even  though  some  of  them 
should  complain  that  we  treated  them  harshly.  We 
had  to  speak  of  their  practices  as  inconsistent  with 
their  profession,  and  of  their  Lutheranism  as  so  far 
lacking  in  soundness  and  thoroughness;  and  thus  to 
let  them  explain  and  defend  their  position  as  best  they 
could  without  admitting  their  inconsistency  in  the  face 
of  the  manifest  discrepancy  between  their  profession 
and  their  practice.  To  this  day  they  have  not  been 
able  to  do  this  to  the  satisfaction  of  Lutherans  who 
sincerely  and  unreservedly  accept  the  articles  of  the 
Confession  as  the  adequate  expression  of  their  own 
faith  founded  on  the  authority  of  God's  revelation  of 
His  truth,  which  we  are  in  conscience  bound  to  hold 
fast,  in  no  case  and  under  no  circumstances  and  on  no 
ground  to  surrender.     It  is  a  great  pity  that  the  Coun- 

341 


&totv  DC  9^V  ^itt 


cil  permitted  the  truth  to  be  obscured  by  considerations 
of  courtesy,  and  error  to  be  upheld  by  such  arguments 
as  that  there  are  Christians  in  other  churches  as  well 
as  in  the  Lutheran,  which  we  never  denied,  but  which 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  question  in  controversy. 
That  which  our  Lord  has  made  obligatory  on  His 
ministers  in  the  administration  of  the  means  of  grace 
is  not  to  judge  the  hearts  of  the  people,  which  is 
His  own  prerogative,  but  to  see  that  they  confess 
Him  and  His  Word.  The  Council  was  undermining 
its  foundation  when  it  virtually  contended  that  visible 
churches  are  not  to  be  judged  by  their  confession,  but 
by  the  hearts  of  their  members,  and  made  concessions 
to  erring  churches  which  placed  them  on  an  equality 
with  the  Church  of  the  pure  gospel  and  sacrament; 
and  it  was  deceiving  itself  when  it  represented  our 
contention  as  involving  the  fanatical  claim  of  sinless 
perfection  in  the  lives  of  church  members.  We  asked 
neither  the  refusal  to  recognize  other  denominations 
as  churches  nor  their  members  as  Christians:  some 
of  them  undoubtedly  are,  and  some,  their  confession 
being  judged  by  the  Word  of  God  as  the  infallible 
rule  of  faith  and  life,  are  not,  because  the  only  foun- 
dation upon  which  Christians  stand  and  can  stand  is 
openly  renounced :  but  that  was  not  at  all  the  point  in 


342 


&tor^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


controversy,  and  dragging  in  such  irrelevancies  was 
no  indication  that  the  one  great  desire  of  our  oppo- 
nents was  to  secure  a  victory  for  the  truth.  Nor  was 
it  correct  to  charge  that  we  demanded  of  them  at 
once  to  rid  themselves  of  the  leaven  of  unionism,  which 
we  had  been  laboring  for  m.any  years  to  purge  out 
of  our  own  synod,  without  even  now  being  entirely 
free  from  its  influence.  We  never  made  such  a  de- 
mand, and  with  our  convictions  could  not  make  it. 
But  what  we  did  ask,  and  had  a  right  to  expect,  was 
that  the  Council  should  take  a  firm  Lutheran  position 
in  doctrine  and  practice,  and  accordingly  declare  itself 
I'n  opposition  to  exchange  of  pulpits  with  ministers  of 
other  denominations  and  to  communion  at  the  sacra- 
mental altar  with  members  of  other  churches,  because 
that  which  makes  them  other  churches  are  the  false 
doctrines  which  separate  them  from  us  and  which  our 
Confession  condemns.  I  tried  to  be  faithful  to  Christ 
in  the  struggle  for  truth  and  right,  and  my  only  regret 
now  is,  that  the  Council  persisted  in  its  unjustifiable 
course  and  thus  defeated  its  professed  purpose  and 
failed  to  realize  the  hopes  of  the  most  decided  and 
zealous  Lutherans  in  the  land.  The  Council,  though 
it  has  spoken  many  good  words  for  confessional  Lu- 
theranism,  still  occupies  the  same  indefensible  position 

343 


fetotp  ot  9?p  %iU 


in  regard  to  Lutheran  practice,  and  our  contention 
remains  the  same.  We  are  divided  on  a  vital  matter. 
The  subject  of  secret  societies,  which  forms  the 
fourth  in  the  questions  laid  by  our  Joint  Synod  be- 
fore the  General  Council,  was  perhaps  as  perplexing 
to  that  body  as  the  other  three,  and  no  answer  was 
ready.  Probably  most  of  its  members  had  opinions 
on  the  subject,  but  they  were  not  prepared  to  express 
them  just  then  and  there;  for  it  was  very  likely  that 
these  opinions  would  clash.  It  would  be  worldly 
wise  to  say  nothing.  Some  of  its  members  were  re- 
ported to  be  themselves  members  of  secret  fraternities ; 
some  of  their  congregations  swarmed  with  them;  a 
number  no  doubt  had  read  and  seen  and  heard  enough 
of  them  and  their  doings,  and  thought  enough  about 
them,  to  take  a  stand  in  opposition  to  their  principles 
and  proceedings.  Policy  would  dictate  silence  in  cir- 
cumstances so  precarious  and  so  embarrassing,  and 
the  Council  declared  that  it  was  not  ready  for  a  de- 
liverance defining  its  position  on  the  question  which 
manifestly  threatened  trouble.  The  four  points,  which 
especially  challenged  consideration  preparatory  to  the 
formation  of  a  Lutheran  union  of  Synods  on  a  sound 
and  permanent  basis,  were  thus  evaded,  and  the  eva- 
sion closed  the  door  against  us  and  others  who  stood 

344 


fetotp  ot  9pp  JLitt 


with  us  in  contending  for  confessional  Lutheranism 
with  corresponding  Lutheran  practice,  which  should 
show  by  acts  that  we  mean  what  we  declare  in  words. 
Thirty-eight  years  have  passed  since  then,  but  I  still 
think  as  I  did  then,  that  the  Council,  by  its  policy  of 
evasion  and  silence,  instead  of  open  and  frank  con- 
fession, and  the  discussion  and  controversy  and  sift- 
ing to  which  this  would  have  led,  made  the  mistake 
which  incapacitated  it  to  become  the  stronghold  of  Lu- 
theranism which  it  might  have  been  in  this  country. 
To  us  the  lodge  question  brought  more  immediate 
trouble  than  the  Council's  action  on  the  other  three 
points.  Our  reorganized  English  District  was  not  in 
full  harmony  with  the  Joint  Synod  on  that  subject. 
When  the  majority  of  our  former  English  District 
had  voted,  at  Wooster  in  1855,  to  withdraw  from  us 
and  unite  with  the  General  Synod,  another  English 
District,  after  an  interval  of  a  few  years,  was  formed. 
The  Joint  Synod  gave  its  consent  to  this  because  our 
English  work  plainly  required  it.  But  besides  the 
few  pastors  and  congregations  that  really  needed  it, 
there  were  some  in  other  Districts  who  were  disposed 
to  join  it  without  needing  it.  A  few  of  our  ministers 
sympathized  with  Pastor  Henkel,  who  was  a  Mason 
and  who  made  us  some  trouble  on  account  of  our  anti- 

345 


fetotp  of  9^v  ^itt 


lodge  resolutions.  He  and  his  friends  went  with  the 
English  members,  and  the  new  English  District  be- 
came the  rallying  ground  for  disaffected  members  of 
our  Synod.  We  had  tried  to  deal  charitably  and  kindly 
with  the  District,  but  when  we  thought  that  all  would 
yet  be  well,  one  or  the  other  would  start  an  opposition 
again,  whenever  our  trumpet  gave  forth  a  clear  sound 
against  lodgery.  The  discipline  required  and  prom- 
ised against  manifest  offenders  had  not  yet  been  ad- 
ministered by  the  English  District,  and  when  the 
Council  was  organized  a  majority  had  been  secured, 
and  the  District,  in  spite  of  the  Joint  Synod's  action 
and  without  its  permission,  went  into  the  Council, 
where  it  was  cordially  received  and  of  which  it  was 
thenceforth  a  part.  Whether  the  members  thought 
that  they  could  belong  to  our  Synod  and  to  the  Coun- 
cil at  the  same  time,  though  these  two  bodies  could 
not  agree,  I  do  not  know.  Some  remarks  and  actions 
indicated  that  this  was  thought  to  be  possible.  At  any 
rate  the  District  did  not  formally  withdraw  from  our 
Synod,  and  the  trouble  with  it  was  therefore  not 
ended  when  it  became  a  District  of  the  Council.  As 
President  of  the  Joint  Synod  I  still  had  some  unpleas- 
ant duties  to  perform  towards  it  and  regarding  it, 
and  I  performed  them.    To  our  Joint  Synod  the  case 

346 


&tot^  ot  9^v  Hiit 


was  clear,  and  at  its  meeting  in  1868  it  took  the  action 
necessary  to  effect  a  final  decision.  When  the  English 
District  met  at  Lima  in  the  following  year,  1869, 
matters  w^ere  brought  to  a  crisis. 

I  thought  it  my  duty  to  attend  that  meeting,  not 
only  as  President  of  Joint  Synod,  but,  after  consulta- 
tions with  my  friends,  with  a  view  of  transferring  my 
membership  from  the  Western  to  the  English  District. 
It  seemed  to  me  a  duty  to  help  the  brethren  in  that 
District  who  were  still  loyal  to  our  cause,  but  who 
were  unable  to  effect  anything  against  the  disaffected 
party,  who  had  more  skillful  and  less  scrupulous 
leaders.  I  had  nothing  to  conceal :  my  intention  was 
to  become  a  member  of  the  English  District.  Ac- 
cording to  our  regulation  and  custom  I  had  a  perfect 
right  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings  at  its  meetings 
without  such  a  transfer  of  my  membership  to  that 
body.  Our  rule  was  that  the  members  of  any  Dis- 
trict, being  thus  members  of  Joint  Synod,  should  have 
voice  and  vote  at  the  meetings  of  any  other  District, 
although  it  was  obligatory  upon  them  to  attend  the 
meetings  only  of  the  District  to  which  they  especially 
belonged.  My  right  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings 
at   Lima  could  therefore  not  be   disputed   with  any 

appearance  of  loyalty  to  Synod.    I  had  rights  also  as 

847 


&tot^  Dt  9^^  ILitt 


President  of  Joint  Synod,  whose  interests  I  was  called 
to  maintain  and  against  which  the  dominant  party  in 
the  English  District  was  waging  a  war  of  rebellion. 
My  convictions  and  sentiments  were  well  known,  and 
my  purpose  to  attend  the  meeting  at  Lima  in  the  in- 
terest of  Joint  Synod  was  also  made  known.  The 
President  of  the  District,  who  was  more  of  a  poli- 
tician than  a  theologian,  and  who  had  been  a  strenu- 
ous advocate  of  hierarchial  notions  in  the  Church  and 
Ministry  controversy,  with  a  special  repugnance 
against  everything  that  savored  of  Missouri,  was  en- 
raged when  he  heard  of  my  purpose,  and  used  all 
his  shrewdness  to  be  ready  for  a  battle.  A  repre- 
sentative of  the  Council  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Passa- 
vant,  an  honored  and  influential  man,  was  also  on 
hand.  After  the  opening  services  the  President  dis- 
charged his  explosives  in  lieu  of  the  usual  presidential 
report.  It  was  a  curious  affair.  To  call  it  an  angry, 
furious  declaration  of  war  would  not  fairly  character- 
ize it.  It  rather  assumed  that  the  war  was  madly 
raging  and  now  the  commander,  in  wild  excitement, 
shouted  a  fierce  harangue,  exhorting  his  henchmen 
to  "strike  till  the  last  armed  foe  expired."  The  ex- 
plosion was  horrible  and  the  whole  scene  was  one  of 
amazement,  in  which,  while  nobody  was  hurt,  nobody 

348 


fetDt^  OC  9^V  ^itt 


could  think  of  anything  to  say  or  do.  When  matters 
had  quieted  a  httle  I  arose  and  courteously  addressed 
the  chair,  but  the  President  curtly  informed  me  that 
I  had  no  business  there  and  could  claim  no  right.  I 
managed  to  secure  an  appeal  from  his  despotic  action, 
but  a  majority  sustained  the  President.  Even  those 
who  were  yet  in  sympathy  with  the  Joint  Synod  ap- 
peared nonplussed  by  the  high  hand  with  which  the 
enraged  warrior  in  the  chair  carried  out  his  ugly  will, 
and  his  friends,  even  if  they  saw  or  felt  how  right- 
eousness was  being  trodden  under  foot,  had  not  the 
heart,  in  such  a  moment  of  storm  and  stress,  to  ven- 
ture any  remark  or  motion  that  might  arouse  still 
more  the  doughty  President's  ire.  Little  could  be  done 
by  private  suggestion  to  friends,  as  to  the  truth  and 
the  right  and  the  demands  of  law  and  order,  as  long 
as  the  only  right  and  law  recognized  by  the  chair 
was  the  chairman's  will. 

Accordingly,  Bro.  Baughman  declared  to  Synod 
his  purpose  to  withdraw,  and  requested  all  those  who 
desired  to  remain  in  the  Joint  Synod  to  go  with  him, 
with  a  view  to  reorganize  the  English  District  in  har- 
mony with  Joint  Synod's  position.  A  goodly  number, 
though  it  was  a  minority  of  the  body,  at  once  arose 
and  left  the   meeting.     They   assembled   in   another 

349 


fetors  oe  9^^  JLitt 


locality,  elected  officers,  and  were  duly  recognized 
as  the  English  District  of  the  Joint  Synod,  while  the 
turbulent  party  remained  in  the  General  Council.  To 
this  it  would  of  necessity  have  come  at  last,  and  Bro. 
Baughman's  movement  was  by  no  means  premature, 
as  free  speech  was  at  an  end  in  the  Council  District. 
The  President  even  had  the  effrontery  to  say  that  I 
could  be  received  into  that  body  only  on  condition 
of  pledging  myself  to  co-operate  with  the  majority 
in  its  rebellious  warfare  against  our  Ohio  Synod.  Of 
course  I  connected  myself  with  our  District,  as  did 
also  the  candidates  who  had  come  from  our  Sem- 
inary. Relieved  now  of  the  turbulent  and  trouble- 
some element,  our  English  District  grew  and  pros- 
pered, and  with  God's  blessing  upon  it  has  been, 
during  all  these  many  years  since,  earnestly  engaged 
in  building  up  the  Church  in  full  accord  with  Joint 
Synod,  in  peace  and  with  great  success. 

It  was  difficult  for  me  to  give  a  clear  account  of 
the  struggle  at  that  stormy  meeting  without  saying 
some  painful  things,  which  may  have  appeared  unduly 
severe  in  regard  to  persons.  I  find  it  difficult  to  do 
so  now,  when  it  would  not  be  natural  to  suppose  that 
passion  rather  than  deliberate  judgment  guides  my 
pen.    No  amount  of  special  pleading  and  whitewash- 


350 


&t0t»  o£  9?»  %itt 


ing  can  ever  annul  the  fact  that  gross  wrong  was 
done  by  the  Council  District,  wholly  aside  from  the 
main  point  of  fidelity  to  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
by  those  who  aided  the  erring  party  in  their  warfare 
against  us.  I  sometimes  spoke  and  wrote  with  warmth, 
because  my  heart  was  in  harmony  with  my  judgment, 
and  I  could  not  do  otherwise  without  calling  forth  the 
rebuke  of  my  own  conscience. 

That  I  could  not  speak  approvingly  of  the  part 
which  Dr.  Passavant  played  in  the  hostilities,  goes 
without  saying.  I  honored  him  for  the  good  works 
which  he  had  done,  but  did  not  honor  him  for  sup- 
porting men  that  were  making  us  trouble  by  their 
wrong-doing;  and  if  I,  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
troublous  faction,  had  no  business  in  Lima,  what  busi- 
ness could  he  have  there?  The  Council  probably 
never  realized  the  extent  of  the  wrong  done  us  by 
espousing  the  cause  of  that  disloyal  English  District, 
and  still  fails  to  see  how  much  that  wrong  contributed 
to  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  way  to  work  peacefully 
side  by  side,  while  the  more  important  barrier  of 
consistent  Lutheran  practice  keeps  us  separate  from 
each  other. 

While  we  were  trying  in  vain  to  unite  the  Lu- 
theran synods  in  the  General  Council,  our  relations  to 

351 


fetotp  oe  9$V  ^itt 


other  confessional  synods,  which  like  ourselves,  could 
not  unite  with  that  body  because  of  its  denial  in  prac- 
tice of  what  it  professed  in  theory,  became  more 
friendly  and,  at  least  in  some  instances,  more  fraternal. 
Notably  was  this  the  case  as  regards  the  Missouri 
Synod.  For  myself,  I  never  had  much  difficulty  to 
get  along  peaceably  with  its  members.  No  doubt 
this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that,  from  the  beginning 
of  my  ministry,  I  in  the  main  accepted  their  doctrine 
and  practice  as  coincident  with  our  Confessions,  and 
therefore  was  often  in  agreement  with  them  when 
this  implied  disagreement  with  some  of  the  brethren 
in  our  own  Synod.  For  some  of  these  it  was  not  so 
easy  to  forget  old  feuds,  the  remembrance  of  which 
tended  to  awaken  distrust  even  when  intercourse  with 
them  seemed  cordial.  But  when  agreement  in  the 
controverted  doctrines  had  been  reached,  the  other 
barriers  were  gradually  torn  away,  and  having  the 
same  objects  in  view  the  relations  became  continually 
more  kindly  and  confiding.  In  a  conference  held  be- 
tween us  and  them,  at  which  Dr.  Walther  was  pres- 
ent, it  became  evident  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
way  of  working  together,  occupying  the  same  con- 
fessional ground  and  having  the  same  objection  to 

the  attitude  assumed  by  the  General  Council  in  the 

352 


Capital   University. 


"I.     Front     Entrance. 

2.     The    Boarding    Hall. 


Recitation   Hall. 
Christ  Church. 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


four  points.  My  desire  was  still  to  unite  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  this  country  so  far  as  possible,  believing 
that  more  could  be  done  for  its  prosperity  by  united 
than  by  separate  effort,  and  that  duty  requires  the 
prevention,  so  far  as  this  may  be,  of  interferences 
with  each  other's  work.  There  were  some  others  be- 
sides the  Missouri  Synod  with  whom  we  were  agreed. 
The  Norwegians  did  not  join  the  Council,  the  Wis- 
consinians  withdrew  from  it  when  they  saw  that 
sound  principles  of  the  Lutheran  practice  would  not 
be  accepted  by  that  body.  There  were  many  who 
were  of  the  same  mind  with  us,  and  I  did  what  I 
could  to  bring  them  together.  The  charge  made  by 
men  of  the  Council  at  the  time,  that  while  I  was 
favoring  measures  to  make  our  union  with  that  body 
possible,  I  had  already  drawn  up  plans  for  another 
general  body  in  opposition  to  it,  was  utterly  without 
foundation.  Evidently  the  charge  was  trumped  up 
to  reflect  upon  my  sincerity  and  honesty  of  purpose. 
I  never  was  guilty  of  such  ungodly  ways.  I  was 
sincerely  desirous  of  strengthening  our  glorious  cause 
by  effecting  a  union  with  the  Council  until  I  saw 
that  the  object  in  view  could  not  be  attained  by  such 
an  alliance;  and  when  this  became  apparent,  I  was 
just  as  sincere  and  open  in  my  efforts  to  attain  it  by 
23  353 


fetorp  DC  9^5  mtt 


union  with  other  synods  that,  Hke  our  own,  could 
not  find  their  account  in  the  General  Council.  Nego- 
tiations along  this  line  were  successful,  and  in  1872 
the  Synodical  Conference  was  organized  on  a  sound 
Lutheran  basis  and  with  principles  that  assured  a 
consistent  Lutheran  practice.  This  was  not  only  the 
largest  of  all  the  synodical  bodies  bearing  the  Luth- 
eran name,  but  also  the  most  thoroughly  Lutheran 
in  word  and  work.  The  Ohio  Synod  heartily  joined 
in  its  formation,  and  I  rejoiced  in  the  attainment  of 
a  purpose  which,  in  my  sight,  contained  the  promise 
of  unspeakable  blessings. 

For  years  I  was  not  disappointed  in  my  expecta- 
tions. We  worked  together  with  unanimity  of  pur- 
pose, and  being  one  in  our  faith  and  our  aim  there 
was  little  collision  in  devising  means  for  its  attain- 
ment, and  in  the  execution  of  our  plans.  Sometimes 
vestiges  of  feelings  engendered  by  past  conflicts 
cropped  out,  but  the  discussions  were  frank,  and  there 
was  no  need  to  withhold  the  expression  of  honest 
conviction.  Yet  all  the  while  there  was  something 
which  had  a  depressing  effect  on  a  large  portion  of 
the  membership.  The  Missouri  Synod  dominated  the 
Conference.  It  was  numerically  the  strongest  of  the 
synods  united  in  it,  and  it  was  the  strongest  in  intel- 

354 


fetors  of  9^v  ^itt 


lectual  power  and  theological  learning.  Aside  from 
the  one  master  mind  which  dominated  the  Missouri 
Synod,  this  would  not  have  been  the  case.  Other 
synods  had  men  of  ability  that  rendered  them  the 
equals  of  the  Missourians,  with  the  exception  of  Dr. 
Walther,  who  towered  above  them  all.  As  he  was  a 
man  sincerely  devoted  to  the  Lord  and  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church,  I  was  glad  that  we  had  him 
among  us,  and  was  thankful  that  God  had  given  us 
so  powerful  an  advocate  of  a  cause  so  dear  to  my 
heart. 

But  the  good  thing  had  its  drawbacks.  The  Mis- 
sourians were  conscious  of  their  superiority,  and  some 
were  manifestly  proud  of  it.  Among  them  were  not 
lacking  weak  brethren  who  manifested  this  in  ways 
bordering  on  insolence,  as  though  they  v;ould  say, 
We  are  the  people,  but  who  are  you?  That  was  not 
the  spirit  of  Dr.  Walther  and  of  the  chief  men  among 
them.  But  even  Dr.  Walther  was  not  wholly  free 
from  contributing  to  the  depression.  I  do  not  think 
that  he  was  of  an  arrogant  and  domineering  dispo- 
sition, but  his  experience  was  such  that  his  demeanor 
not  unseldom  assumed  that  appearance.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  have  his  doctrinal  statements  accepted 
as  indisputably  correct  and  his  judgment  assented  to 

355 


&totv  oC  ^v  ^itt 


as  decisive  and  final.  He  could  brook  no  public  con- 
tradiction when  he  had  spoken.  He  had  become  a 
dictator  by  habit,  without  claiming  to  be  this  or  to 
have  any  authority  for  it.  This  had  the  effect  of 
inducing  men  to  be  silent  when  they  should  have 
spoken,  preferring  not  to  express  their  dissent  when 
this  might  be  followed  by  unpleasant  situations.  Once 
an  important  subject  of  discussion  was  left  in  such 
a  form  that  I  was  uneasy,  and  some  others  were  evi- 
dently not  satisfied.  We  secured  the  appointment  of 
a  committee,  composed  of  one  delegate  from  each  of 
the  synods  represented,  to  draw  up  a  paper  which 
should  clearly  state  what  we  desired  and  obviate  the 
ambiguity  to  which  objection  was  raised.  The  com- 
mittee met  and  performed  its  task  with  perfect  unan- 
imity. When  we  reported.  Dr.  Walther,  who  was  act- 
ing as  moderator,  took  the  paper,  glanced  over  it,  and 
laid  it  aside  with  the  remark  that  it  did  not  express 
what  he  contended  for  and  did  not  furnish  what 
was  wanted.  Nobody  said  anything,  and  the  paper 
was  not  submitted  to  the  Conference.  On  another 
occasion  I  was  constrained  to  oppose  a  position  which 
he  took  in  support  of  a  thesis  that  he  presented.  In 
my  judgment  the  thesis  was  all  right,  but  the  argu- 
ment used  to  establish  it  seemed  to  me  to  involve  a 

356 


&t0tg  ot  9??  %itt 


principle  which  I  regarded  as  erroneous  and  which 
might  prove  dangerous  in  theory  and  practice.  I 
could  not  maintain  peace  of  mind  without  stating  my 
objections.  Modestly  I  ventured  to  speak  against  his 
position,  most  sincerely  prefacing  my  remarks  with  the 
statement,  that  one  thinks  twice  or  thrice  before  openly 
expressing  dissent  from  a  man  like  my  friend,  Dr. 
Walther,  but  that  with  all  his  gifts  he  is  not  infallible, 
and  we  owe  it  to  our  God  and  our  Church  to  speak  in 
defense  of  the  truth  as  we  see  it,  even  though  it  be 
against  a  man  whom  we  all  delight  to  honor.  My 
introduction  produced  such  a  sensation  that  my  speech 
hardly  received  the  desired  attention.  To  my  aston- 
ishment Dr.  Walther  was  seriously  offended  at  my 
remarking,  as  an  excuse  for  what  might  seem  pre- 
sumption on  my  part,  the  fact  that  he  was  not  infallible. 
He  took  it  as  an  insinuation  that  he  nursed  the  delu- 
sion of  his  own  infallibility.  He  declined  to  take  any 
further  part  in  the  discussion  of  the  topic,  and  finally 
withdrew  the  part  of  his  paper  which  had  been  the 
object  of  my  attack,  while  the  thesis  itself  was  adopted. 
But  for  several  sessions  a  pall  hung  over  our  deliber- 
ations, which  was  removed  only  after  mutual  friends 
arranged  for  a  private  meeting  between  us,  that  ex- 
planations might  be  made  and  misunderstandings  re- 

357 


fetor?  ot  ^v  %itt 


moved.  With  such  difficulties  to  contend  with,  our 
work  went  on  less  joyously  than  our  unity  of  faith 
and  purpose  would  have  warranted,  though  it  went 
on  prosperously  notv^ithstanding  these  drawbacks. 
Some  of  our  people  were  certainly  less  eager  to  take 
part  in  the  discussions  and  transactions  of  the  Confer- 
ence, and  less  zealous  in  carrying  out  its  plans,  than 
they  would  have  been  in  other  circumstances.  They 
did  not  feel  as  fully  at  home  there  as  they  did  at 
the  conventions  of  our  own  synod,  where  no  one  was 
afraid  to  say  vv'hat  he  thought  and  felt. 

To  these  untoward  conditions  it  was  at  least  In 
part  attributable  that  I  had  sometimes  to  encounter 
opposition  in  our  own  Synod  when  I  advocated  plans 
engaging  the  attention  of  Conference.  This  was 
notably  the  case  with  regard  to  State  Synods,  and 
especially  a  general  Theological  Seminary.  I  could 
not  abandon  the  conviction  that  by  dividing  our  synods 
according  to  state  lines,  so  that  all  the  members  of 
our  different  synods  within  the  boundaries  of  any 
given  state  would  belong  to  the  same  District  of  the 
Conference,  many  of  the  dangers  threatening  our  pre- 
sent organizations  would  be  eliminated,  and  that  much 
more  could  be  accomplished  for  the  cause  of  Luther- 
nism  in  our  land ;  and  with  this  was  associated  in  my 

358 


&tDt^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


mind  the  importance  of  sustaining  a  common  Semi- 
nary for  all  the  State  Synods,  as  a  means  of  welding 
all  together  by  a  common  interest  and  educating  all 
our  ministers  in  the  same  school  under  the  influence 
and  guidance  of  the  same  teachers.  This  would  re- 
quire changes  in  our  whole  organization  and  in  all 
arrangements  for  conducting  our  work,  and  it  certainly 
was  the  part  of  wisdom  to  give  the  subject  thorough 
consideration  before  taking  decisive  action,  and  to 
m_ove  slowly  in  the  execution  of  the  plan.  This  was 
my  sincere  wish,  and  my  contention  never  was  that  we 
should  make  a  dash  towards  the  goal  and  do  our 
thinking  afterwards.  But  I  did  hope  that  a  consum- 
mation which  in  my  estimation  promised  so  much  for 
the  advancement  of  our  beloved  Church  could  in 
due  time  be  secured,  and  did  desire  that  it  should  be 
kept  in  view,  and  accordingly  that  nothing  should  be 
done  that  would  array  our  synod  definitely  against  the 
whole  plan.  There  were  some  among  us  who  did  not 
entertain  this  hope,  and  had  no  desire  that  it  should  ever 
be  accomplished.  In  fact,  there  were  some  who  could 
not  feel  at  home  among  the  Missourians,  and  who 
abhorred  the  thought  of  putting  our  institutions  in 
any  position  which  would  give  them  share  in  the  con- 
trol of  our  work.     They  were  in  no  doubt  that  the 

359 


fetot^  oe  9^v  ^itt 


Missouri  Synod,  as  well  as  the  other  Synods  in  our 
Synodical  Conference,  were  soundly  and  sincerely  Lu- 
therans and  in  that  respect  were  well  satisfied  to  co- 
operate with  it  in  all  church  work.  But  they  did  not 
like  the  Missouri  spirit,  and  as  this  dominated  the  Con- 
ference they  would  not  labor  joyously  together  with 
its  members  in  the  meetings  of  Conference,  as  they 
could  with  the  brethren  of  our  synod  in  our  synodical 
meetings,  though  in  both  the  purpose  was  the  same. 
While  they  were  heartily  agreed  in  all  that  gave  the 
Synodical  Conference  its  distinctive  character  as  a 
Lutheran  body,  they  were  not  happy  under  the  in- 
fluence of  some  incidental  traits  that  were  specifically 
Missourian.  As  from  the  beginning  of  my  ministry 
I  was  in  sympathy  with  the  cause  which  Missouri 
advocated  and  in  the  furtherance  of  which  so  much 
zeal  and  self-sacrifice  was  manifested,  I  did  not  feel 
this  pressure  as  much  as  some  others,  who  alleged  that 
they  could  not  breathe  freely  in  the  Missourian 
atmosphere.  Perhaps  I  was  treated  more  considerately 
than  some  others ;  perhaps  I  had  myself  unconsciously 
imbibed  something  of  the  objectionable  Missourian 
spirit :  at  any  rate  I  was  not  unhappy  in  my  associa- 
tion with  them,  although  I  did  not  fail  to  see  that 
opposition  to  Dr.  Walther  could  accomplish  nothing 

360 


^mv  Dt  9^V  ^itt 


and  was  rarely  attempted,  and  that  the  uneasiness  of 
some  brethren  did  not  spring  wholly  from  merely 
imaginary  conditions. 

The  period  in  our  history  in  which  these  debates 
took  place  was  fraught  with  troubles.  We  had  re- 
moved our  institution  of  learning  to  its  present  site, 
and  were  pressed  by  the  debts  incurred  in  the  erec- 
tion of  our  new  buildings;  our  teaching  force  was 
inadequate ;  the  teachers  that  we  had  were  not  promptly 
paid ;  and  the  new  plans  in  connection  with  the  Synod- 
ical  Conference,  together  with  the  opposition  which 
developed,  had  unsettled  our  affairs.  Perhaps  the 
darkest  days  had  come  when  our  Joint  Synod  met  in 
June,  1878.  It  was  to  me,  especially,  a  memorable 
meeting.  I  had  just  recovered  from  a  severe  attack 
of  pneumonia,  from  which  for  a  while  my  physician 
entertained  little  hope  of  my  recovery.  Prudence  dic- 
tated that  I  should  remain  at  home.  But  I  felt  that 
I  must  go  to  Wheeling,  whatever  the  consequences 
might  be,  though  my  death-like  appearance  rendered 
me  an  object  of  fright  and  alarm  to  my  friends.  God 
in  His  goodness  sustained  me,  and  I  was  able  to  attend 
all  the  sessions  of  Synod  and  take  some  part  in  its 
proceedings.  I  prepared  my  report  as  President,  the 
tone  of  which  was  hopeful,  though  the  times   were 

361 


&t0t»  Of  Qps  %itt 


troublous.  The  Vice-President,  Prof.  Lehmann,  had 
the  kindness  to  preside,  to  preach  the  opening  sermon, 
and  assume  all  other  duties  that  belonged  to  the  pre- 
siding officer.  Upon  my  declining  under  any  condi- 
tions to  accept  the  presidency  again,  he  was  elected 
to  the  office.  After  serving  consecutively  for  eighteen 
years  as  President  it  was  a  great  relief  to  me  to  have 
this  burden  removed,  as  it  was  a  great  relief,  two 
years  before,  to  have  the  Synod  take  back  the  busi- 
ness management  of  the  Standard,  though  I  was  con- 
tinued as  its  editor.  My  strength  increased  day  by 
day  during  the  Synod,  and  I  was  able  to  take  an 
active  part  in  the  discussions,  not  excepting  those  per- 
taining to  the  proposed  State  Synods  and  United  Semi- 
nary. It  was  no  doubt  fortunate  that  no  definite  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  accompHshment  of  plans  which 
I  favored,  but  I  was  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
showing  that,  whatever  hopes  we  may  entertain  of 
betterments  in  the  future,  we  must  not  allow  them  to 
interfere  with  the  work  that  God  has  given  us  to  do 
in  the  present.  Evidently  our  Synod  was  not  ready 
for  anything  more  than  the  appointment  of  a  committee 
to  confer  with  a  similar  committee  of  the  Missouri 
Synod  in  relation  to  the  subject. 

About  this  time  I  received  a  call  to  the  English 


362 


fetcrg  of  ^v  ^itt 


professorship  of  theology  m  the  Seminary  of  the  Mis- 
souri Synod  at  St.  Louis.  If  I  had  been  standing  idle 
in  the  market  place,  waiting  for  the  Master  to  assign 
me  a  place  to  work,  I  could  have  accepted  the  position 
without  hesitation.  But  I  had  an  abundance  of  work 
where  I  was,  my  labors  were  duly  appreciated,  I 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  my  brethren,  and  my  place 
here,  with  the  various  avocations  connected  with  it, 
seemed  to  me  more  difficult  to  supply  than  the  com- 
paratively easy  professorship  at  St.  Louis.  Therefore, 
after  giving  the  subject  the  attention  and  consider- 
ation which  its  importance  required  and  seeking  coun- 
sel of  others,  I  deemed  it  the  path  of  duty  to  decline 
the  call.  Unhappily  many  of  those  who  did  not  like 
Missourian  ways  interpreted  this  call  as  an  unfriendly 
act  towards  our  Synod,  alleging  that  it  v/as  designed 
to  injure  us  and  our  work,  seeing  that  Missouri  must 
have  known  that  taking  away  one  of  our  Professors 
would  cripple  us.  Although  the  suspicion  was  not 
charitable,  the  fact  was  capable  of  such  a  reading,  and 
it  increased  the  dislike.  What  a  leading  man  of  the 
Missourians  urged  upon  me  as  an  argument  for  my 
acceptance  was  probably  more  powerful  in  effecting  the 
choice,  that  the  conditions  were  such  in  that  Synod, 
that  the  admixture  of  something  more  of  our  spirit 

363 


feitotg  of  app  ^itt 


and  manner  would  be  a  blessing  to  them  and  a  benefit 
to  us  all. 

When  Synod  met  again,  in  1880,  changes  had 
taken  place  that  suggested  other  thoughts  than  those 
of  laying  and  executing  plans  for  effective  co-operation 
with  Missouri.  The  predestination  war  had  broken 
out  in  the  Synodical  Conference,  and  although  we  had 
not  yet  taken  active  part  in  it,  its  dark  cloud  already 
hung  over  our  Synod.  Our  President,  Prof.  Lehmann, 
was  sick  and  could  not  be  present :  indeed  it  was, 
humanly  speaking,  evident  that  he  would  never  be  with 
us  again  at  our  synodical  meetings.  He  sent  us  a 
fraternal  message,  warning  us,  and  entreating  us  to 
spend  no  further  time  upon  the  question  of  a  United 
Seminary  and  kindred  projects,  but  to  devote  our 
entire  strength  to  the  fostering  of  our  institutions, 
although  he  had  said  nothing  about  the  Calvinizing 
error  into  which  Dr.  Walther  had  fallen.  But  the 
Vice-President,  Prof.  Schuette,  who  took  the  chair 
and  presented  a  report  in  the  President's  stead,  referred 
to  it  and  pointed  out  the  necessity,  on  our  part,  of 
discussing  the  subject  and  declaring  our  position.  My 
own  convictions  in  regard  to  the  desirability  of  joining 
forces  with  Missouri  in  educational  work  had  been 


364 


&t0r^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


greatly  modified  by  observing  the  predestinarian  inno- 
vations. 

As  Prof.  Lehmann  could  not  further  serve  as  Presi- 
dent, the  choice  at  the  election  again  fell  on  me.  I 
thought  that  I  had  served  as  long  in  that  capacity 
as  could  justly  be  asked  of  me,  in  view  of  the 
burden  that  I  was  already  carrying  in  the  service  of 
the  Synod,  and  declined  to  accept  the  office.  Efforts 
to  elect  another  failed,  and  the  scene  became  so  painful 
to  me,  that  I  was  finally  constrained  to  yield,  and  did 
so  with  the  determination  never  again  to  offer  such 
strenuous  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  my  brethren 
and  to  such  pleadings  for  my  poor  services.  For 
twelve  years  more,  until  the  presidency  was  made  a 
salaried  office  demanding  all  the  incumbent's  time,  the 
election  regularly  came  to  me,  and  I  made  no  resist- 
ance, but  continued  to  discharge  its  duties  as  if  I 
wanted  the  position. 

When  the  work  of  Synod  began,  the  old  topic 
which  had  engaged  so  much  of  our  attention  and  been 
the  subject  of  so  much  debate,  came  up  again,  not- 
withstanding the  changed  conditions  and  the  counsel 
of  our  dying  former  President.  The  committee,  ap- 
pointed two  years  before,  had  prepared  an  elaborate 
report  on  the  plan  and  management  of  our   future 


365 


fetotg  ot  ^v  ^itt 


Seminary  work.  Prof.  Lehmann  was  one  of  that  com- 
mittee, but  he  had  not  signed  the  document  so  that  it 
was  presented  by  Prof.  Frank  and  myself  as  the 
other  two  members.  I  was  no  longer  inclined  to  urge 
the  matter  as  formerly,  as  Missouri's  Calvinistic  aber- 
rations had  thoroughly  chilled  my  zeal  in  the  cause 
of  the  Synodical  Conference  and  induced  me  to  con- 
centrate my  thought  and  labor  and  influence  upon  our 
own  special  field  and  the  provisions  made  for  its 
cultivation.  But  the  subject  was  discussed  at  con- 
siderable length  and  much  was  said  in  maintenance 
of  the  plan  proposed,  notwithstanding  the  new  ob- 
stacles cast  in  our  way  by  the  new  departure  of  Mis- 
souri in  the  direction  of  Calvinism.  The  final  deci- 
sion was  that  at  this  time  we  are  not  prepared  to 
engage  in  the  establishment  of  a  joint  Seminary  with 
another  Synod.  If  I  remember  rightly,  this  decision 
was  unanimous;  and  all  were  thus  enabled,  with  one 
accord,  to  push  forward  our  own  special  work  and 
provide  properly  for  our  own  institutions  and  enter- 
prises, which  was  done  with  energy  and  success. 

A  few  months  later  our  loved  and  trusted  Prof. 
Lehmann  was  not,  for  God  took  him.  In  his  death 
I  think  the  Church  sustained  a  greater  loss  than  it 
knew,  although  that  loss  was  deeply  felt  throughout 

366 


&mv  ot  9^V  ^itt 


the  Ohio  Synod.  He  was  a  man  of  sterhng  worth, 
the  firmness  of  whose  faith  and  soundness  of  whose 
judgment  rendered  him  a  tower  of  strength  in  the 
Ohio  Synod.  He  was  too  busy  a  man  from  his  youth 
up  to  have  amassed  great  learning,  and  too  cautiously 
slow  to  be  progressively  enterprising,  but  when  good 
plans  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  were  proposed  and  he  became  convinced  of 
their  correctness  and  feasibility,  there  was  no  man 
among  us  more  willing  to  labor  and  suffer,  if  need  be, 
in  their  execution.  This  process  of  conviction  was 
never  rapid,  but  when  the  result  was  once  reached  it 
was  permanent  and  unflinching.  He  was  therefore  not 
a  leader  in  the  march  of  progress,  but  rather  a  modera- 
tor and  guide,  pointing  to  paths  of  safety,  and  warn- 
ing against  pitfalls.  It  was  my  lot  often  to  differ 
with  him,  but  was  always  glad  to  consult  his  judg- 
ment and  weigh  his  reasons,  knowing  that  his  cautious 
eye  would  be  likely  to  detect  a  flaw  or  difficulty  that 
my  eagerness  to  press  onward  might  overlook.  And 
never  did  our  differences  disturb  our  cordially  fra- 
ternal relations.  Usually  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
standing  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  him  in  the  battles 
as  well  as  in  the  labors  in  which  our  dear  Ohio  Synod 

was  engaged.    When  we  buried  him  I  could  as  readily 

367 


&tor^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


have  taken  my  place  among  the  chief  mourners  as  to 
occupy  that  of  a  preacher  at  the  funeral.  He  was  a 
man  of  rugged  health,  and  we  did  not  think,  neither 
he  nor  I,  that  I,  who  was  always  sickly  and  frail, 
would  be  called  to  officiate  at  his  burial.  Just  a  few 
weeks  before  his  fatal  illness  we  stood  together  at 
the  east  gate  of  the  college,  where  we  often  met  and 
talked  over  matters  of  mutual  interest,  when  I  re- 
marked that  he,  though  the  older  man,  from  all  indi- 
cations to  human  eyes,  promised  long  to  outlive  me, 
who  am  always  ailing,  to  which  he  assented,  laying 
stress  on  the  uncertainty  of  the  evidence  afforded  by  hu- 
man appearances.  Before  the  year  was  past  we  saw  how 
little  reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  such  indications,  see- 
ing our  times  are  in  God's  hands,  and  in  the  midst 
of  life  we  are  in  death.  Nearly  twenty-five  years  have 
passed  since  then,  and  I,  not  freed  from  ailments  yet, 
am  still  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  to  take 
me  home  —  waiting  with  an  increased  sense  of  lone- 
liness in  my  pilgrimage  since  my  old  friend  and  col- 
league in  the  Seminary  is  gone. 

Prof.  Lehmann's  death  laid  new  responsibilities 
upon  me.  Provisionally,  at  least,  I  must  take  his  place. 
So  far  as  the  Seminary  was  concerned,  this  was  no 
hardship,  except  so  far  as  the  care  for  a  supply  of  the 

368 


fetot^  of  9dV  "SAtt 


immediate  VN^ants  of  the  classes  was  concerned.  To 
compensate  for  this  care,  it  left  me  at  the  head  of  the 
Seminary,  and  gave  me  the  choice  among  the  branches 
taught,  so  that  I  could  henceforth  devote  myself  to 
systematic  theology,  which  was  always  my  preference. 
But  he  had  been  President  of  the  University,  and  by 
his  departure  that  important  position  was  also  left 
vacant.  It  seemed  all  around  to  be  regarded  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course  that,  during  the  interim  at  least,  I  must 
take  the  reins.  I  did  so  without  a  murmur.  The  neces- 
sity was  evidently  upon  me.  When  the  Board  met  I 
was  duly  elected  to  the  office.  I  declined  to  accept  it, 
believing  that  more  was  resting  upon  me  already  than 
a  man  is  ordinarily  expected  to  carry.  The  Board 
insisted,  and  adjourned.  Manifestly  the  duties  of  the 
presidency  must  be  performed,  and  I  continued  to  per- 
form them  as  well  as  I  could.  Time  passed  on,  and 
the  Board  was  apparently  satisfied  with  the  perform- 
ance, as  well  without  my  acceptance  of  the  call  as  it 
would  have  been  if  I  had  accepted  it.  It  would  ap- 
point nobody  else,  and  I  had  to  serve.  Finally  I  thought 
it  best,  for  the  sake  of  order  and  appearance,  to  accept 
the  name  as  well  as  the  work,  and  thus  for  about  ten 
years  I  added  the  presidency  of  Capital  University  to 
my  other  labors  and  honors. 
24  g69 


fetotp  ot  a^^  ILitt 


Meantime  the  crisis  came  in  the  Synodical  Con- 
ference. The  predestination  controversy  was  raging 
with  ever  increasing  ardor,  and  all  were  pressed  to 
take  sides  on  the  burning  question.  I  was  editor,  and 
of  course,  had  to  speak  out.  Not  that  I  was  disposed 
rashly  to  put  myself  forward.  It  was  long  before  I 
admitted  what  seemed  to  lie  so  plainly  before  the  eyes 
of  all  who  were  willing  to  see.  For  a  long  while  I 
thought  that  there  must  be  some  mistake  about  it. 
Antecedently  it  looked  improbable  to  me  that  such  a 
man  as  Dr.  Walther,  with  all  his  wide  learning  and 
profound  devotion  to  Lutheran  doctrine,  would  at  last 
be  caught  in  the  snare  of  Calvinism.  The  confusion 
apparent  in  the  first  presentation  of  Missourian  pre- 
destinarianism  nourished  this  thought,  and  for  months 
I  entertained  the  hope  that  the  mystery  would  yet  be 
cleared  up  and  Missouri  would  yet  retrieve  its  hon- 
ored Lutheran  character.  But  I  was  disappointed. 
The  Missourians  defended  their  error,  and  it  became 
ever  more  evident  that  their  offensive  statements  were 
not  slips  of  their  tongues  and  pens,  but  were  the  ex- 
pression of  false  doctrines  which  had  entered  their 
souls.  As  soon  as  I  was  convinced  that  they  incul- 
cated Calvinistic  opinions,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so ; 
and  I  accordingly  was  one  of  the  first  among  us  to 

370 


fetotp  oe  S^p  JLitt 


incur  their  displeasure.  The  announcement  was  made 
that  Missourians  would  not  sit  in  conference  with  any 
who  pronounced  their  doctrine  Calvinistic,  and  that 
settled  the  matter  for  them  as  regards  their  future 
relations  to  opponents. 

In  those  days  our  fraternal  intercourse  with  each 
other  had  already  become  so  intimate  that  we  united 
in  the  meetings  of  our  local  conference.  Such  a  meet- 
ing of  one  of  our  conferences  was  to  be  held  at  Upper 
Sandusky,  and  the  Missourians  in  that  District,  sup- 
posing it  possible  that  I  might  attend,  as  the  town  was 
not  far  from  Columbus,  notified  the  pastor  of  the 
place,  a  member  of  our  Synod,  that  if  I  came  they 
could  not  take  part,  as  I  had  committed  the  offence 
which  by  Missouri's  decree  made  it  unlawful  for  them 
to  sit  in  conference  with  me.  Our  pastor  informed  me 
of  this,  and  in  reply  to  his  question  I  informed  him 
that  I  was  coming.  I  came,  and  they  came ;  and  as  I 
was  the  guest  of  our  pastor,  in  whose  house  the  con- 
ference was  to  convene,  I  kept  my  seat  when  they 
came,  having  no  thought  that  courtesy  or  charity 
would  require  me  to  withdraw,  and  I  was  quite  sure 
that  faith  and  conscience  made  no  such  requirement. 
In  greeting  them  personally  I  tried  to  be  as  cordial  as 
ever,  and  we  sat  and  conversed  for  a  while  as  usual. 

371 


fetot^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


But  as  the  time  for  a  formal  opening  arrived,  the  Mis- 
sourians  showed  signs  of  uneasiness.  The  conversa- 
tion flagged.  They  were  perplexed.  Finally  one  of 
the  boldest  among  them  spoke  out  what  troubled  them 
—  there  was  a  man  present  who  had  declared  the  doc- 
trine of  Missouri  to  be  Calvinistic,  and  they  could  not 
sit  in  Conference  with  him.  As  Conference  had  not 
yet  formally  organized,  and  I  had  no  scruples  of  con- 
science in  looking  at  the  matter  and  talking  it  over 
with  them,  I  saw  no  reason  why  I  should  retire,  and 
was  aware  of  nothing  that  would  forbid  them  to  retire, 
if  they  felt  like  it.  So  I  kept  my  seat  and  made  such 
remarks  as  the  circumstances  suggested.  It  was  an 
amusing  situation.  The  conference  became  lively,  as 
the  subject  was  interesting  to  us  all ;  but  it  was  a  con- 
ference under  conditions  which,  according  to  the  con- 
tention of  our  opponents,  rendered  a  conference  im- 
possible. Of  course,  nothing  tending  to  peace  re- 
sulted ;  but  this  became  plain  to  me,  that  the  Missouri- 
ans  present  had  not  yet  digested  the  new  doctrine  and 
therefore  came  upon  difficulties  which  they  saw  no 
way  to  surmount.  As  an  example  I  mention  that  when 
the  question  was  asked,  whether  an  elect  person  is 
necessitated  to  accept  the  grace  unto  salvation  when  it 
is  offered,  the  chief  speaker  of  the  Missourians  an- 

372 


fetot^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


swered  in  the  affirmative,  while  the  President  of  his 
District  looked  at  him  and  sadly  shook  his  head,  but 
said  nothing. 

The  calamitous  affair  was  brought  to  a  decision 
at  an  extra  session  of  our  Synod  held  at  Wheeling  in 
1 88 1.  The  war  became  so  violent  that  a  further  co- 
operation with  the  Synodical  Conference  was  out  of 
the  question.  Some  of  our  men  had  become  exceed- 
ingly obnoxious  to  the  Alissourians,  and  I  was  one  of 
them ;  for  I  had  not  only  opposed  the  Calvinistic  inno- 
vation in  the  paper  v/hich  I  was  editing,  but  had 
started  a  theological  bi-monthly  magazine  with  the 
express  purpose  of  combating  the  false  doctrine. 
Some  of  these  objectionable  men  of  ours  had  been 
chosen  to  represent  the  Ohio  Synod  at  the  coming 
meeting  of  the  Synodical  Conference,  and  it  might 
seem  as  if  the  proper  thing  for  our  Synod  to  do  would 
be  to  insist  that  these  delegates  should  go,  and  en- 
deavor to  maintain  the  purity  of  the  faith  in  the  gen- 
eral body  to  which  we  belonged.  That  appears  right 
and  reasonable,  but  it  overlooks  an  essential  feature 
in  the  existing  conditions.  Missouri  had  openly  de- 
clared that  such  delegates  would  not  be  received,  and 
Missouri  had  the  power  to  enforce  its  declaration. 
Aside  from  all  other  advantages  it  had  a  large  majority 

m 


&totv  ot  9^v  ^itt 


of  votes  in  the  Conference,  and  could  refuse  a  seat  in 
the  Convention  to  whomever  it  pleased.  Our  Synod 
would  have  exercised  a  constitutional  right,  if  it  had 
sent  its  delegates  there,  notwithstanding  the  Missou- 
rian  attitude  towards  them ;  but  they  would  have  been 
powerless  even  to  get  a  hearing  before  the  convention. 
Our  Synod  could  have  withdrawn  the  delegates 
chosen  and  selected  others  on  whom  the  ban  of  Mis- 
souri did  not  lie,  as  there  were  many  among  us  who 
had  not  yet  pronounced  the  Missouri  doctrine  a  species 
of  Calvinism;  but  the  Ohio  Synod  was  never  minded 
to  have  others  dictate  to  us  who  should  be  chosen  to 
represent  us,  and  the  delegates  chosen,  of  whom  I  was 
one,  were  not  minded,  without  an  indignant  protest,  to 
be  rejected  by  their  own  brethren  at  others'  tyrannical 
bidding.  Both  on  account  of  Missouri's  doctrine  and 
conduct  it  had  become  evident  to  our  Synod,  that  our 
peaceful  co-operation  with  the  Synodical  Conference 
was  at  an  end.  The  Joint  Synod  therefore  defined  its 
position  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  predestination, 
continuing  to  teach  what  it  had  always  taught,  and 
what  the  Lutheran  Church  had  with  practical  unanim- 
ity been  teaching  for  centuries,  and  declaring  against 
the  new  departure  of  Missouri  which,  up  to  the  time 
of  its  Calvinistic  innovation,  had  also  taught  the  same 

374 


&tot?  ot  Q^v  ^itt 


doctrine  which  our  old  teachers  had  so  clearly  set 
forth  and  so  vigorously  and  triumphantly  defended 
against  the  Calvinists.  It  then  formally  withdrew 
from  the  Conference,  and  contended  earnestly  for  the 
old  faith,  carrying  on  a  strenuous  controversy  with  its 
former  allies.  It  has  stood  firmly  in  its  well-fortified 
position  until  this  day,  and  the  war  against  Missourian 
Calvinism  is  not  yet  ended. 

A  small  number  of  our  ministers,  mostly  such  as 
had  come  into  our  Synod  from  the  Missourians  and 
who  had  the  Missourian  habit  of  following  Dr.  Wal- 
ther,  declined  to  accept  our  position  and  withdrew 
from  us  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  Synodical  Con- 
ference. It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  men  who 
had  been  called  from  the  Missouri  Synod  to  congrega- 
tions of  our  Synod  during  the  time  of  our  fraternal 
relations  and  consequently  of  pastoral  interchanges, 
were  all  inclined  to  go  with  Missouri  when  the  conflict 
came,  concluding  a  priori  that  Dr.  Walther  must  be 
right,  though  no  conclusive  proof  could  be  furnished 
that  he  had  not  erred  in  fact  on  the  subject  in  contro- 
versy. In  my  conversations  in  private  with  some  of 
the  most  intelligent  of  these  men  the  outcome  usually 
was  that  they  agreed  with  me  as  regards  the  substance 
of  the  doctrine,  but  assumed  that  I  misunderstood  the 

37$ 


&tm  ot  ^v  iiiitt 


Missourian  contention,  although  none  of  them  could 
render  me  the  service  of  showing  wherein  I  misunder- 
stood them  or  of  explaining  what  the  words  which  I 
quoted  could  mean  other  than  they  said  and  I  under- 
stood them  to  say. 

The  predestinarian  controversy  with  its  conse- 
quences exercised  a  potent  influence  in  the  subsequent 
development  of  our  Synod.  Those  who  had  come  to 
us  from  Missouri  in  times  of  peace  returned  thither 
when  the  war  began,  and  a  few  Ohioans  went  with 
them.  So  far  as  I  can  recollect,  not  one  of  the  former 
remained  with  us  and  took  up  arms  against  the  erring 
body  to  which  they  had  formerly  owed  allegiance. 
That  was  a  loss  which  we  could  not  prevent.  Even 
the  man  who  had  been  called  from  Missouri  to  a  pro- 
fessorship in  our  college  and  who  seemed  loyally  de- 
voted to  our  work  and  our  interests,  showed  some 
restlessness  when  our  attacks  on  Missouri  became 
severe.  Prof.  Frank  had  even  been  unwisely  advanced 
to  a  chair  in  our  Seminary,  though  he  had  scarcely 
been  acclimated  among  us.  In  one  of  the  last  inter- 
views I  had  with  him  I  was  convinced,  that  in  all  posi- 
tive statements  he  was  in  substantial  harmony  with 
us,  but  that  in  our  negation  of  the  Missourian  con- 
tentions he  did  not  join  us  so  heartily.    He  was  called 

37a 


fetors  DC  ^v  ^itt 


to  a  pastorate  in  the  Missouri  Synod,  and  I  think  was 
glad  to  get  away  from  a  position  that  was  not  pleas- 
ant to  him,  and  we  had  no  reason  to  do  anything  that 
would  make  the  change  difficult.  So  in  the  new  align- 
ment we  even  lost  one  of  our  Professors.  But  on  the 
other  side  our  gain  was  great.  A  goodly  number  of 
Missourians,  among  whom  were  several  of  the  ablest 
men  among  them,  lifted  up  their  voices  like  a  trumpet 
against  the  Calvinizing  innovation,  and  failing  to  effect 
any  change  for  the  better  in  the  Synodical  Conference, 
which  was  dominated  by  the  master  mind  that  intro- 
duced the  error,  left  their  former  association  and 
joined  forces  with  us.  Our  cause  prospered  and  our 
strength  increased.  Proper  provision  was  made  to 
supply  the  new  demands  made  upon  us  by  our  grow- 
ing field  and  widening  opportunities.  We  were  thor- 
oughly united  in  purpose  and  aim,  and  in  devising 
plans  and  executing  them  there  were  no  discordant 
elements  to  retard  the  work.  Better  provision  was 
made  for  cultivating  our  constantly  widening  mission- 
ary field;  a  Practical  Seminary  for  the  more  rapid 
preparation  of  men  to  occupy  the  field  was  established ; 
our  School  Teachers'  Seminary  was  put  into  a  more 
effective  condition;  our  publication  business  was  en- 
larged;  due   attention   was   given   to   institutions   of 

377 


fetors  ot  9^5  mu 


mercy  for  the  care  of  the  needy  and  suffering ;  in  every 
way  our  Synod  was  inspired  with  new  zeal  and  energy 
to  do  the  Lord's  work,  now  that  we  were  confined  to 
our  own  resources  and  felt  the  whole  weight  of  the 
responsibility  resting  upon  us  to  develop  them  accord- 
ing to  the  ability  that  God  had  given  us.  It  was  a 
privilege  and  a  delight  to  be  permitted  to  labor  in  the 
great  cause  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in 
the  Ohio  Synod  now  that  she  had  reached  a  deeper 
consciousness  of  her  precious  heritage,  and  all  were 
of  one  heart  and  one  soul  in  this  appreciation,  and 
therefore  had  a  mind  to  work  with  their  might.  The 
building  up  of  the  Church  on  the  sure  foundation 
which  had  been  reached  has  been  a  pleasure,  and  God's 
blessing  has  given  it  success. 

Among  those  who  came  to  us  from  Missouri  was 
Prof.  F.  W.  Stellhorn,  whose  great  gifts  have  been 
unvariedly  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  Synod  as  the- 
ological professor  since  1881.  Though  he  was  not  the 
immediate  successor  of  our  lamented  Prof.  Lehmann, 
who  died  in  1880,  he  more  than  filled  the  place  left 
vacant  among  us,  his  manysidedness  and  his  willing- 
ness to  help  in  every  field  of  endeavor  rendering  him 
an  invaluable  acquisition.  To  me  it  has  been  a  con- 
stant pleasure,  in  the  more  than  twenty  years  during 

378 


&tot»  ot  2^^  %iU 


which  we  labored  side  by  side,  to  observe  his  readi- 
ness to  take  hold  wherever  help  was  needed,  and  the 
skill  with  which  his  helping  hand  would  push  the  work 
along,  without  a  murmur  about  the  hardship  or  the 
least  complaint  of  weariness.  He  is  still  at  work,  and 
I  have  become  old  and  worn  by  sickness ;  but  it  is  still 
a  joy  to  me  that  he  is  with  us  and  that  we  can  occa- 
sionally talk  together  of  the  things  that  God  has  done 
and  is  still  doing  for  us,  and  of  the  things  He  desires 
us  to  do  for  the  glory  of  His  great  name.  With  him 
at  the  head  of  a  devoted  and  faithful  Faculty,  our 
Seminary  was  never  more  efficient. 

In  1890  I  had  been  twenty-five  years  Professor 
in  our  Seminary,  and  I  experienced  a  slight  dis- 
appointment when  March  came,  in  which  month  I 
began  my  work  in  the  year  1865.  One  of  my  col- 
leagues in  the  College  had  been  kindly  remembered 
by  his  friends  of  the  Faculty  and  by  the  Board  on  his 
twenty-fifth  anniversary,  and  I  expected  at  least  con- 
gratulations from  my  brethren  when  I  had  com- 
pleted a  quarter  of  a  century's  labor  in  our  College 
and  Seminary.  Commencement  day  came  and  passed, 
and  still  nothing  was  said  or  done.  I  therefore  con- 
cluded that  my  surmise  was  incorrect,  and  that  my 


379 


mox^  ot  ^v  %itz 


friends  were  not  aware  of  the  date  of  my  anniversary. 
So  the  matter  passed  out  of  my  mind. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  our  Joint  Synod  met  in 
Columbus,  and  on  Sunday  morning  an  appointment 
was  made  for  the  afternoon  which  seemed  to  me  to 
be  worded  somewhat  peculiarly,  but  suggested  noth- 
ing more  to  me  than  an  afternoon  service.  As  the 
work  of  Synod  always  wearied  me,  I  concluded  not  to 
attend  the  services  in  the  afternoon.  After  our  noon- 
day meal  my  guests  and  I  seated  ourselves  on  the 
lawn,  as  the  v/eather  was  warm.,  and  engaged  in 
conversation.  While  sitting  there,  enjoying  the  balmy 
air  and  the  social  converse,  several  good  friends  joined 
the  company ;  and  as  I  thought  that  they,  like  myself, 
had  decided  to  absent  themselves  from  church  and 
spend  the  afternoon  w^ith  me,  I  welcomed  them  and 
proceeded  to  arrange  seats  for  their  comfort.  But 
they  stopped  my  proceedings  and  informed  me  that 
they  had  made  other  arrangements,  and  desired  me  to 
accompany  them  in  the  carriage  waiting  at  the  gate. 
Putting  on  my  coat,  w^hich  I  had  laid  off,  I  went  with 
them  and  was  driven  to  church,  which  was  beautifully 
decorated,  and  crowded  to  overflowing.  It  seemed 
strange  to  me  that  elaborate  preparations  should  have 
been  made  for  the  celebration  of  some  high  festival 

380 


&mv  ot  a^g  %itt 


and  I,  who  was  President  of  the  Synod,  should  know 
nothing  about  it;  and  it  was  not  until  I  was  with 
unaccustomed  ceremony  conducted  to  a  conspicuous 
seat  of  honor,  that  it  began  to  dawn  on  me  that  I 
was  meant  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  the  celebration. 
Naturally  it  revived  the  thought  of  the  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  of  my  professorship,  which  with  a  little 
disappointment  I  had  thought  to  be  overlooked,  but 
which  in  my  brightest  dreams  I  had  never  supposed 
capable  of  leading  to  pomp  and  ceremony  like  this. 
But  it  was  all  designed,  as  a  few  moments  after  my 
entrance  was  made  quite  plain,  in  recognition  of  my 
services  in  the  Lord's  work,  and  in  praise  of  Him 
who  called  me  and  employed  m.e  and  blessed  m.e 
in  these  services  and  through  them  blessed  our  Synod. 
The  surprise  was  perfect.  Not  even  the  few  unusual 
movements  I  observed  in  the  days  preceding  the  fes- 
tival aroused  the  least  suspicion  that  anything  was 
going  on  that  especially  concerned  me.  Accordingly 
I  was  absolutely  unprepared  for  any  active  part  that 
I  may  have  been  expected  to  take  in  the  program, 
and  probably  the  words  which  I  was  able  to  sum- 
mon for  the  expression  of  my  feelings  did  me  poor 
service    amid    the   honors    which    kind    friends    were 

laying  on  me  in  such  profusion.     But  any  words  would 

381 


fetPtp  ot  9$v  ^itt 


have  been  inadequate,  and  perhaps  my  spontaneous 
utterances  showed  what  w^as  in  my  heart  better  than 
studied  speech  could  have  done.  I  was  gratified  that 
the  address  delivered  gave  all  the  glory  to  God, 
and  contained  no  fulsome  adulation  of  the  servant 
through  whose  instrumentality  He  wrought.  The 
principle  maintained  throughout  was  that  honor  should 
be  given  to  whom  honor  is  due,  but  to  God  all  the 
glory.  I  was  not  indifferent  to  my  brethren's  kindly 
recognition  of  my  services,  nor  did  I  pretend  to  be; 
on  the  contrary,  I  appreciated  it  highly,  and  was 
cheered  by  it,  and  thanked  God  and  took  courage.  But 
I  think  I  bore  my  honors  meekly.  It  was  one  of 
the  great  events  in  my  life,  which  led,  so  far  as  the 
effect  became  apparent  to  me  in  my  consciousness,  to 
no  overweening  conceit  of  myself  or  of  my  importance 
in  the  work  of  our  Church.  But  it  did  impres?  on  my 
heart  the  goodness  of  God  in  giving  such  a  joy  to 
poor  sinners  like  me,  who  are  honored  when  He 
employs  them  in  His  service  at  all,  and  whose  sin  so 
often  blemishes  the  service,  and  the  kindness  of  my 
fellow-laborers,  who,  notwithstanding  the  faults  and 
shortcomings  of  their  companion  in  labor  and  tribu- 
lation, are  ready  to  cheer  him  by  recognizing  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  efforts  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  gospel 


382 


&tots  of  9^?  %iU 


and  the  blessing  with  which  the  Lord  has  crowned 
these  efforts. 

The  joy  that  was  given  me  on  that  notable  day 
was  not  confined  to  the  few  hours  devoted  to  the  grand 
celebration.  Besides  the  service  of  song  and  the  edi- 
fying sermons,  munificent  gifts  from  Synod,  Board, 
Faculty  and  students  were  presented,  those  from  the 
students  of  College  and  Seminary  not  being  least  in 
my  appreciation.  Among  these  gifts  there  was  a  purse 
of  money  large  enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a  more 
extensive  trip  than  I  had  ever  been  able  to  make,  and 
a  four  months'  vacation  to  afford  the  time  for  it.  I 
was  made  a  rich  man  that  day,  as  I  counted  riches; 
for  time  and  money  was  given  me  to  travel  to  my 
heart's  content.  Accordingly,  when  the  spring-time 
came  my  wife  and  I  flitted  away,  westward-ho!  as 
free  as  the  birds  of  the  air,  visiting  some  friends  in 
Chicago,  to  begin  with,  and  taking  a  look  at  the 
sights,  in  that  windy  city;  then  to  Kansas  City;  then 
to  Denver;  and  then  to  Manitou  and  Pike's  Peak  and 
the  Garden  of  the  Gods.  Our  first  long  stay  was  at 
Manitou,  where  wonders  of  the  world  are  piled  to- 
gether in  stupendous  fashion,  and  where  the  longer  we 
stayed  the  greater  nature's  attractions  became.  But 
we  had  not  gone  there  to  stay,  so  we  broke  away  and 


383 


fetorp  of  9?p  Jiitt 


crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  exulted  in  the  amaz- 
ing peaks  and  canons  in  our  rapid  transit  to  Salt  Lake 
and  the  Mormon  City,  seeing  and  hearing  there  all 
we  wanted  to  see  and  hear,  although  spending  only 
four  days  there  of  the  week  which  I  supposed  it  would 
require  to  satisfy  our  curiosity.  Then  the  long  trip 
through  desert  and  over  mountains  to  San  Francisco, 
where  a  week  was  quite  enough  to  satisfy  us.  Then 
along  the  Shasta  route  with  its  marvelous  scenery 
and  feats  of  engineering  to  Portland  and  Tacoma, 
spending  more  than  a  month  at  the  latter  city  with 
daily  trips  about  the  Sound,  to  neighboring  towns 
and  cities.  Then,  as  the  month  had  been  rolling  rap- 
idly by,  to  Spokane  and,  over  the  Rockies  again 
homeward,  to  St.  Paul;  then  to  Chicago,  making  but 
short  stops  along  the  route,  to  Columbus,  where  we 
are  stopping  still.  My  time  was  nearly  up,  and  my 
purse  was  running  low,  and  it  was  highly  proper  to 
think  of  going  to  work  again.  All  was  well  at  home, 
and  I  was  refreshed  by  the  long  journey  and  rest  from 
my  usual  occupation,  so  that  I  was  in  excellent  con- 
dition to  resume  my  duties  with  new  energy  and  zeal, 
the  cheer  which  had  been  given  me  in  my  public 
celebration  being  a  constant  additional  incentive  to 
work  with  all  my  strength. 

384 


&t0t^  Of  9?^  JLitt 


The  Synod  in  which  my  whole  active  life  has 
been  spent  not  only  on  this  anniversary  occasion  dealt 
kindly  with  me,  but  has  always  treated  me  generously. 
It  has  been  several  times  mentioned  that  my  health, 
from  the  time  when  I  entered  the  ministry,  has  never 
been  good,  though  I  was  rarely  unable  to  attend  to  my 
duties.  Once,  when  it  was  no  doubt  apparent  that 
for  weeks  and  even  months  I  was  doing  this  with 
great  difficulty,  though  I  made  no  complaint  and  asked 
no  relief,  the  Board  of  our  Institutions  passed  the 
singular  resolution,  that  I  should  absent  myself  from 
Columbus  for  three  months,  going  where  I  pleased,  but 
promising,  whithersoever  I  might  go,  not  to  preach 
during  that  period.  I  understood  the  import  of  the 
banishment  from  home  and  the  one  restriction  that  wab 
placed  on  my  liberty  of  action.  No  doubt  my  friends 
feared  that  I  would  break  down  if  complete  rest  were 
not  secured,  and  saw  that  if  I  remained  in  the  city, 
I  could  not  escape  all  work,  even  if  I  suspended 
all  my  recitations,  and  that  if  I  sought  rest  and  recrea- 
tion among  my  ministerial  brethren,  they  would  be 
sure  to  ask  me  to  preach  at  least  on  Sundays,  and  that 
I  would  be  sure  to  do  it,  if  there  were  strength  enough 
left  to  ascend  the  pulpit.  So  I  complied  with  the  reso- 
lution, roamed  about  the  land,  mostly  in  Washington, 

25  385 


fetors  Dt  9^V  ^itt 


Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  taking  life 
easy,  and  coming  home  weighing  156  pounds,  the  high- 
est that  I  had  ever  attained.  When  I  reached  my  70th 
birthday  in  1898,  a  banquet  was  prepared  in  my  honor 
with  the  same  secrecy  that  had  characterized  my  jubilee 
anniversary,  a  secrecy  that  was  observed  even  to  the 
extent  of  taking  me  in  charge  when  I  was  on  the  way 
to  my  class-room.  It  was  in  all  respects  a  delightful 
surprise,  and  the  birthday  celebration  was  surpassed 
only  by  the  larger  and  more  richly  decorated  festival 
commemorating  my  quarter  of  a  century's  service  as 
Professor,  while  in  generous  appreciation  of  my  work 
and  in  my  delight,  especially  now  that  I  had  grown 
old,  in  my  brethren's  expression  of  such  appreciation, 
it  was  not  surpassed.  On  many  occasions  before  and 
since  my  friends,  including  the  students,  kindly  remem- 
bered the  recurrence  of  my  birthday,  and  beautified  it 
with  music  and  flowers. 

Many  as  had  been  the  celebrations  in  commemo- 
ration of  events  in  my  life,  I  had  never  had  any 
share  in  originating  them,  and  nearly  always  were 
they  complete  surprises.  But  when  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  cur  marriage  was  approaching  in  1903,  I 
did,  for  this  once,  as  I  had  not  done  when  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  my  ministry  occurred  in  1899,  seriously 


fetors  of  9^v  ^itt 


think  of  preparing  a  wedding  feast  at  our  home  and 
of  inviting  a  number  of  guests  to  celebrate  the  golden 
wedding  with  us.  I  called  a  family  council  on  the 
subject,  and  the  decision  was  virtually  unanimous 
against  it.  The  ground  of  this  was  not  a  disinclina- 
tion to  engage  in  such  commemorations,  but  the  con- 
viction that  such  a  golden  wedding  could  not  be  cele- 
brated without  having  some  wedding  presents  brought, 
notwithstanding  all  that  could  be  done  to  effect  their 
omission,  and  that  if  we  did  succeed  in  eliminating 
them,  the  feeling  would  exist  in  some  of  the  guests 
that  some  presents  would  have  been  eminently  proper, 
and  that  we,  my  wife  and  I,  would  be  disappointed 
after  all  when  our  wishes  were  respected  and  the  cus- 
tomary gifts  were  omitted.  So  I  abandoned  the  pro- 
ject and  confined  the  celebration  to  our  own  immediate 
family,  as  had  been  customary  with  us  on  less  notable 
occasions.  But  even  then  my  friends  would  not  re- 
frain from  manifesting  their  kindly  interest  in  me, 
but  gathered  a  goodly  sum  of  gold  and  sent  it  to  me 
with  flowers,  so  that  it  was  a  golden  wedding  indeed, 
and  all  our  anxiety  and  seeming  success  to  keep  away 
the  gold  was  a  pleasant  failure.  The  kindness  was 
deeply  appreciated  all  the  same,  and  plenty  of  use 

could  be  found  for  the  beautiful  gold  coins.     And  one 

387 


fetors  ot  9^v  ^itt 


instance  more  of  my  brethren's  unvarying  kindness  to 
me  must  be  mentioned,  as  the  crowning  manifestation 
of  their  generous  concern  for  my  welfare.  When  the 
affliction  came  that  disabled  me  quite,  leaving  little 
hope  that  I  could  ever  be  of  much  or  of  any  further 
service,  the  Synod  resolved  that  my  salary  should  con- 
tinue just  as  if  I  were  performing  the  usual  duties  of 
my  professorship,  thus  relieving  me  of  all  cares  re- 
specting my  own  and  m.y  family's  daily  bread,  which 
God  has  always  bountifully  supplied,  and  which  He 
continues  to  supply  just  as  bountifully  now,  when  the 
ordinary  conditions  of  the  supply,  through  the  labor 
connected  with  our  calling,  it  is  no  longer  in  my  power 
to  fulfill.  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  is  so  good  to  me 
and  has  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  my  brethren  to  be 
so  good  to  me ! 

Rejoicing  in  the  gracious  promises  of  God,  and 
encouraged  by  the  visible  manifestations  of  His  favor, 
by  which  I  was  so  often  sustained  in  my  weakness,  I 
endeavored  to  give  myself  wholly  to  the  work  of  my 
calling.  But  while  this  implied  diligence  in  all  the 
duties  of  my  professorship,  it  did  not  in  my  judgment, 
at  least  not  in  the  circumstances  in  vv^hich  my  voca- 
tion placed  me,  exclude  my  participation  in  the  other 
needs  and  enterprises  of  Synod  looking  to  the  same 

388 


fetot^  ot  9^v  ^itt 


end.  My  duties  as  President  of  Synod  and  as  editor, 
and  my  co-operation  with  others  on  various  synodical 
committees,  were  not  regarded  as  conflicting  with  my 
fidehty  as  Professor,  as  the  work  of  all  was  done  to 
promote  the  same  general  cause.  I  could  never  think 
that  those  were  in  the  right  who,  in  the  situation  of 
our  Synod,  vv^ith  its  lack  of  men  and  money  for  need- 
ful undertakings,  declined  to  accept  any  additional 
tasks,  on  the  plea  that  their  proper  office  gave  them 
enough  to  do ;  and  I  did  not  feel  good  over  it,  when 
my  entreaty  for  help  in  our  emxergency  was  met  by 
the  seemingly  unconcerned  remark,  that  it  would  make 
an  addition  to  the  work  that  was  already  enough.  As 
I  looked  at  our  pressing  needs,  love  should  prompt  all 
to  lay  hold  and  give  a  lift  when  the  hands  were  lack- 
ing to  push  along  an  important  undertaking,  not  that 
any  one's  proper  duties  should  be  neglected  or  slighted, 
but  that  the  labor  of  love  should  be  done  in  addition. 
When  a  man  works  eight  or  ten  hours  a  day  in  his 
calling,  he  may  no  doubt  rightfully  claim  that  he  is 
doing  all  that  should  be  required  of  him;  but  when 
difficulties  arise  and  embarrassments  come  and  disaster 
or  defeat  threatens,  he  may  work  twelve  or  fifteen 
hours  until  the   calamity  be  overpast.     Why  not,   if 

in  the  depth  of  his   soul  he  sees  the  need  of  it  to 

8Sd 


fetorp  ot  9^v  ^itt 


promote  a  cause  that  is  dear  to  him  as  the  apple  of 
his  eye?  Actuated  by  such  thoughts,  I  found  time 
to  use  voice  and  pen  in  large  measure  for  the  further- 
ance of  the  cause  in  which  I  was  enlisted  for  life, 
preaching  and  making  addresses  with  frequency,  writ- 
ing articles,  and  even  publishing  books,  without  neg- 
lecting, so  far  as  I  knew,  any  duties  of  my  proper 
office,  or  rendering  my  ministrations  unsatisfactory  to 
those  who  called  me  or  those  who  heard  me  in  the 
lecture  room.  Very  likely  I  could  have  done  better 
work  as  Professor,  if  I  could  have  devoted  my  whole 
v/orking  time  and  strength  to  the  one  task  of  teaching, 
but  the  circumstances  in  which  I  was  called  to  labor 
were  not  such  as  to  make  this  practicable;  and  as  I 
look  back  now  upon  the  manifold  employment  of  my 
energies,  I  have  no  regrets  on  that  account ;  and  I  am 
quite  sure  that  God  has  crowned  my  life  and  work 
with  His  blessing,  as  He  has  crowned  it  with  His 
goodness. 


890 


CHAPTER   IX. 

AUTHOR. 

WRITING  books  was  never  part  of  the  duties 
laid  upon  me  by  my  vocation.  I  was,  indeed, 
made  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  felt  encouraged  by  the 
.honorary  degree,  especially  as  it  was  conferred  with- 
out any  solicitations  known  to  me,  by  a  college  of  high 
repute  in  whose  interest  I  was  not  laboring ;  but  I  had 
written  books  before  this  honor  came  to  me  and,  as 
the  title  is  now  understood,  it  conferred  no  rights  and 
no  duties  that  I  did  not  before  possess.  Authorship 
was  merely  one  of  my  labors  of  love  as  much  as  any 
other  work  done  without  express  obligation  and  with- 
out special  compensation. 

It  may  imply  a  high  estimate  of  one's  own  abili- 
ties to  be  induced  to  write  and  publish  books.  Cer- 
tainly a  man  who  is  convinced  that  he  has  nothing  of 
any  value  to  communicate  will  not  be  likely,  unless 
some  unworthy  motive  impels  him,  to  undertake  the 
task  of  writing  and  the  worry  of  publishing  them. 
But  it  does  not  follow  that  authors  become  such  only 

by  over-estimating  their  own  acquirements  and  pow- 

391 


fetotp  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


ers.  Circumstances  often  lead  modest  men  to  author- 
ship, and  the  instances  are  not  rare  in  which  Christians 
have  so  underrated  their  abihties,  that  friends  had  a 
difficult  task  in  hand  when  they  undertook  to  constrain 
them  to  render  service  with  the  pen.  In  many  in- 
stances the  sin  of  omission,  when  one  has  the  power 
to  give  the  public  what  it  needs,  and  from  professed 
motives  of  modesty  refuses  to  do  it,  is  manifest.  Per- 
haps this  is  as  frequent  as  the  sin  of  commission  in 
the  matter  of  writing  books.  I  am  sure  that  I  did  not 
rush  into  authorship  blindly.  It  was  always  in  pur- 
suance of  the  same  purpose  which  actuated  me  in  the 
rest  of  my  work,  and  without  interference  with  my 
proper  calling. 

My  first  book  had  a  peculiar  history.  It  is  the 
earliest  of  my  published  writings,  but  in  publication 
it  is  not  my  first  book  at  all.  The  first  intimation  that 
I  had  of  its  existence  as  a  printed  volume  was  when, 
at  a  meeting  of  our  Joint  Synod,  a  beautiful  book  in 
morocco  binding  and  gilt  edges,  was  handed  me  with 
congratulations.  On  its  side  it  bore,  in  letters  of  gold, 
the  inscription:  "Presented  to  Rev.  Prof.  M.  Loy, 
D.  D.,  on  the  25th  anniversary  of  his  editorship,  1890." 
Following  the  title  page  is  a  dedicatory  address  to 
me,  which  offers  the  requisite  explanation  in  regard 

392 


^totv  ot  9^v  ^itt 


to  the  contents.  It  says :  "By  authority  and  in  the 
name  of  the  Publication  Board  of  the  Joint  Synod  of 
Ohio,  the  undersigned  committee  would  hereby  dedi- 
cate this  volume  to  you  as  a  jubilee  gift.  You  have 
been  favored  by  the  Head  of  the  Church  with  the 
grace  of  serving  Him  as  a  teacher  of  His  truth  faith- 
fully, for  twenty-five  years.  The  Lord's  blessing  has 
rested  abundantly  on  3^our  work  as  a  professor  at  Cap- 
ital University  and  editor  of  the  Lutheran  Standard 
and  other  publications.  Especially  would  the  Publica- 
tion Board  acknowledge  the  services  you  have  ren- 
dered the  Lutheran  Church  by  your  articles  on  the 
subject  of  Christian  Prayer,  found  in  the  volumes  of 
the  Standard.  These  have  been  collected,  to  be  pre- 
served and  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Church  anew  as 
a  precious  treasure.  It  is  hereby  presented  to  you  as 
a  token  of  esteem  and  gratitude,  and  may  the  Lord 
reward  your  work." 

The  collected  articles,  which  form  a  neat  octavo 
volume  and  made  a  beautiful  and  highly  appreciated 
jubilee  gift,  in  kindly  recognition  of  twenty-five  years 
of  service  as  editor,  were  written  long  before,  most 
of  them,  indeed,  before  my  editorial  career  began.  It 
was  my  custom,  when  I  was  pastor  at  Delaware,  to 
spend  the  first  half  of  the  day  in  my  study,  attending 

393 


fetors  ot  9^^  Eite 


to  out-door  work  in  the  afternoons,  so  far  as  this  was 
under  my  control.  This  enabled  me  to  do  some  read- 
ing and  thinking  and  writing  beyond  the  immediate 
requirements  of  my  public  ministrations.  Sometimes 
I  departed  from  the  custom  of  using  the  lessons  of  the 
Church  Year  and  preached  a  series  of  sermons  on  free 
texts,  as  I  thought  the  wants  of  my  congregation  re- 
quired. Thus  at  one  time  I  tried  to  make  our  people 
better  acquainted  with  the  Church  by  explaining  the 
Augsburg  Confession  article  by  article,  selecting  the 
texts  to  suit  the  subject  thus  previously  given  to  my 
hand.  I  remembered  that  it  was  not  unusual  in  our 
Church  to  preach  sermons  on  the  Catechism,  and  I  saw 
the  need  of  such  a  practice.  At  one  time,  when  I  had 
chosen  the  Lord's  Prayer  for  a  series  of  sermons,  the 
thought  occurred  to  me  that  such  an  exposition  as  I 
designed  to  give  might  be  beneficial  to  others,  as  well 
as  to  the  members  of  my  own  congregation,  and  that 
if  my  sermons  were  carefully  prepared  they  might 
later  be  printed.  I  accordingly  wrote  out  the  dis- 
courses in  full,  though  I  delivered  them  without  the 
manuscript.  When  the  series  was  completed  I  was  so 
well  satisfied  with  the  work  that  I  suggested  my  plan 
of  publishing  it  to  my  first  pastor.  Dr.  C.  W.  Schaeffer, 
who  approved  it  and  encouraged  me  to  go  on,  although, 

394 


fetot?  of  9^?  %iU 


as  I  did  not  send  him  the  manuscript,  he  could  pass 
no  judgment  on  the  contents.  But  for  various  reasons 
I  did  not  execute  my  plan,  lack  of  money  being  per- 
haps as  large  a  factor  in  the  account  as  lack  of  am- 
bition to  become  an  author  at  so  early  a  stage  of  my 
life.  But  the  discourses  were  preserved  in  my  desk, 
and  later,  when  I  had  become  editor  of  our  paper  and 
I  was  pressed  for  time  to  write  the  articles  needed,  I 
found  it  very  convenient  to  draw  on  some  of  my  earlier 
work.  Thus  in  the  course  of  years  the  sermons  became 
articles  for  the  Standard,  and  my  friends  collected 
them  and  made  this  nice  book  and  beautiful  present  of 
them.  In  publication  it  is  one  of  my  more  recent 
works,  in  authorship  it  was  my  first. 

The  earliest  book  that  bears  my  name  on  the  title 
page  is  the  small  Life  of  Luther  published  by  Rev.  J. 
A.  Schulze,  in  1869.  But  I  was  only  the  translator, 
the  author.  Rev.  H.  Fick,  having  written  it  in  German. 
I  liked  the  little  volume  and  expected  to  do  the  Church 
good  service  by  giving  it  to  the  readers  of  the  Stand- 
ard in  English.  It  was  accordingly  published  in  that 
paper,  and  afterwards  issued  in  book  form  by  Bro. 
Schulze,  who  held  the  copy-right.  So  far  as  I  know  it 
is  still  in  the  book  market,  and  it  is  worthy  of  retain- 
ing its  place.    About  the  same  period  I  also  translated 

395 


&tot»  of  99V  ^itt 


for  him  Dietrich's  Catechism  into  English  and  edited 
a  translation  of  Luther's  House-Postil,  both  of  which 
he  published.  He  was  as  eager  as  myself  to  furnish 
good  Lutheran  literature  for  English  readers,  and  his 
zeal  and  sacrifice  in  this  direction  are  worthy  of  all 
commendation. 

I  still  remember  with  delight  the  summer  vaca- 
tion of  1868,  the  spare  time  of  which  was  spent  in 
writing  my  little  book  on  "The  Doctrine  of  Justifica- 
tion." The  theme  was  one  of  which  I  never  grew 
weary.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  preach  and  to  write 
on  the  subject,  and  frequently  as  I  did  this  I  never 
had  the  feeling  that  it  was  becoming  threadbare,  or 
that  people  were  becoming  weary  of  it.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  they  were.  All  my  experience  confirmed 
my  conviction,  that  the  people  who  regularly  go  to 
church  like  to  hear  the  Gospel,  and  that  attentive  read- 
ers of  church  papers  like  to  read  articles  showing 
the  way  of  salvation.  I  therefore  had  no  fears  that 
justification  by  faith  is  too  trite  and  hackneyed  a  sub- 
ject to  interest  readers  of  books,  and  that  writing  on 
it  would  be  labor  in  vain.  I  was  sure  that  further 
study  of  it  and  meditation  on  it  would  be  profitable 
to  those  who  were  willing  to  read,  and  I  was  confident 
that  some  good  could  be  done  by  writing  my  book, 

396 


fetorg  oC  9^V  ^itt 


especially  as  I  wanted  the  material  for  the  Standard. 
So  in  the  long  vacation,  when  I  was  free  from  my 
usual  class  work,  I  formed  my  plan  and  proceeded 
to  develop  it,  and  the  longer  I  wrote  the  more  the  sub- 
ject delighted  me.  It  was  a  labor  of  love  throughout, 
edifying  to  myself,  as  my  heart  brooded  over  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ  and  rejoiced  in  the  pros- 
pect of  communicating  to  others  some  of  the  blessed- 
ness which  I  felt  in  contemplating  the  wonders  of 
divine  grace.  The  book  was  published  in  due  time, 
and  I  was  not  disappointed  in  my  belief  that  it  would 
find  readers.  The  first  edition  was  sold  out  in  a  few 
years,  and  so  scarce  did  the  volume  become  that  I 
had  some  difficulty,  when  later  I  desired  to  refer  to 
it,  to  secure  a  copy  for  myself.  After  being  long  out 
of  print,  a  second  edition  was  published  by  the  Luth- 
eran Book  Concern  in  1882.  It  has  since  been  con- 
tributing its  modest  share  towards  making  the  great 
truth  of  which  it  treats  more  clear  and  more  dear  to 
Christian  people. 

Earlier  in  the  writing,  but  a  year  later  in  the  pub- 
lication, was  my  "Essay  on  the  Ministerial  Office:  an 
Exposition  of  the  Scriptural  Doctrine  as  Taught  in 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church."  It  v/as  the  only 
book  I  ever  published  at  my  own  risk,  or  in  which  I 

397 


fetot^  of  9$v  ^itt 


had  any  pecuniary  interest.  My  part  in  the  other 
volumes  bearing  my  name  consisted  merely  in  furn- 
ishing the  manuscript,  while  the  whole  business  of 
publishing  was  committed  to  other  hands.  "The 
Essay"  bears  the  imprint  of  Schulze  &  Gassman,  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  1870,  but  in  this  case  they  were  only 
the  printers  for  the  author,  who  was  pecuniarily  as 
well  as  otherwise  responsible  for  the  publication.  I 
never  pursued  authorship  as  a  business ;  it  was  always 
incidental  to  the  work  in  which  I  was  engaged  and 
made  tributary  to  that.  I  therefore  never  held  a  copy- 
right to  any  of  my  books,  and  never  asked  or  desired 
any  share  in  the  profits  that  might  accrue.  My  inter- 
est in  the  Book  Concern  which  I  helped  to  establish, 
was  wholly  in  the  service  which  it  could  render  the 
Church,  and  if  any  profits  should  arise  from  the  pub- 
lication of  my  books,  which  in  every  case  had  an 
object  higher  than  that  of  making  money,  it  seemed 
to  me  right  and  proper  that  these  should  be  applied 
to  the  furtherance  of  the  sacred  and  beneficial  cause 
in  which  the  Church  is  engaged,  and  which  I  as  a 
servant  of  the  Church  was  glad  to  promote.  But  in 
regard  to  the  book  on  the  Ministerial  Office  circum- 
stances induced  me  to  pursue  a  different  course.  The 
matter  of  which  it  treats  was  largely  in  controversy 

398 


&t0tg  ot  9$v  ^itt 


in  our  Synod  when  the  work  was  written,  and  that 
controversy  was  not  yet  entirely  settled  when  the 
volume  was  published,  although  the  bitterness  of  the 
struggle  was  past.  I  desired  to  be  alone  held  respon- 
sible for  the  doctrine  taught  and  for  its  dissemina- 
tion in  our  Synod.  It  was  therefore  published  at  my 
own  charges,  and  without  fear  that  the  venture  would 
plunge  me  into  bankruptcy.  The  book  had  paid  its 
own  expenses  when  I  gave  the  remaining  copies  over 
to  the  Book  Concern,  and  I  made  no  further  inquiries 
about  them.  Years  ago  I  was  informed  that  the  edi- 
tion was  entirely  sold  out,  and  that  it  was  desired  to 
publish  a  nevv^  edition.  I  was  willing  that  this  should 
be  done,  but  did  not  urge  it,  and  a  new  edition  has 
not  been  published.  The  volume,  which  is  no  longer 
in  the  market,  was  in  substance  a  republication  of  a 
series  of  articles  prepared  while  I  was  pastor  at  Del- 
aware, during  the  time  when  the  question  of  the 
Church  and  Ministry  was  the  burning  one  in  our 
Synod.  These  articles  were  published  in  the  Evangel- 
ical Review,  which  was  then  the  only  periodical  in 
the  Lutheran  Church  of  this  country  devoted  to  theo- 
logical studies  and  discussions.  I  was  then  an  occa- 
sional contributor  to  this  theological  quarterly,  and  the 
interest  I  felt  in  the  controversy  which  was  raging 


Motv  ot  9^v  ^itt 


within  our  own  bounds  and  in  its  outcome,  rendered  this 
a  theme  on  which  I  was  glad  to  make  pubHc  my  con- 
victions and  my  reasons  for  entertaining  them.  The 
subject  was  still  one  of  general  interest  among  us 
after  my  removal  to  Columbus,  and  the  same  zeal 
which  inspired  me  to  write  the  essay  moved  me  later 
to  publish  it  in  book  form.  The  preface  closes  with 
these  words :  'The  author  would  not  pretend  indiffer- 
ence to  the  success  of  the  volume  here  offered  to  the 
Christian  public.  The  truth  which  it  sets  forth,  what- 
ever may  be  the  imperfections  of  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  exhibited,  he  regards  as  of  first  importance  in  the 
development  of  a  true  Church  life  and  of  a  proper 
activity  in  the  Christian  work ;  and  he  commits  the 
book  to  the  public  with  the  earnest  desire,  that  it  may 
contribute  something  towards  elucidating  that  truth 
and  rendering  it  a  power  in  human  hearts."  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  it  was  not  without  influence  in 
our  Church's  victory  over  hierarchical  tendencies,  es- 
pecially in  our  own  Synod. 

The  large  volume  of  Sermons  on  the  Gospels, 
published  in  1888,  was  in  part  at  least,  as  in  the  case 
of  my  other  books,  a  further  utilization  of  materials 
which  had  already  served  the  purpose  for  which  they 
Vv^ere  written.     An  extract  from  the  preface  will  tell 

400 


&totv  ot  ^v  ^itt 


the  reader  what  I  desire  to  say  about  the  book.  "For 
years  the  want  of  a  collection  of  sermons  in  the  Eng- 
lish language,  similar  to  the  Postils  in  extensive  use 
for  edification  in  our  German  churches,  has  been 
deeply  felt,  and  the  writer  has  been  repeatedly  re- 
quested to  contribute  something  towards  supplying 
that  want.  Believing  that  in  a  matter  of  this  kind  the 
judgment  of  others  should  not  be  disregarded,  he  has 
at  last  yielded  to  these  solicitations  and  furnished  the 
manuscript  of  the  sermons  forming  this  volume.  For 
offering  them  to  the  public  the  Board  of  Publication 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  Ohio  is  respon- 
sible. The  author's  reluctance  and  hesitancy  in  ren- 
dering this  service  was  due  in  part  to  other  causes  than 
those  of  questionings  and  misgivings  relative  to  his 
ability  to  meet  the  want,  grave  as  such  considerations 
are.  He  has  had  special  reasons  for  tardy  compliance. 
Leading  a  busy  life  and  burdened  with  manifold  offi- 
cial duties,  he  has  during  the  last  twenty-five  years 
rarely  been  able  to  write  out  the  sermons  which  he 
preached.  The  manuscript  on  hand,  from  which  to 
make  selections,  was  therefore  not  ample,  and  only  a 
short  time  since  was  he  so  far  relieved  from  other 
labors  as  to  afford  him  an  opportunity  to  supply  what 
seemed  to  him  necessary.  Moreover,  it  is  many  years 
26  401 


fetotg  ot  ^v  ^itt 


since  he  was  pastor  of  a  congregation  and  had  that 
daily  converse  with  the  people  which  is  so  effective  in 
suggesting  and  shaping  sermons  for  the  times.  Under 
such  circumstances  he  feared  that  it  might  even  seem 
presumptuous  in  one,  whose  principal  calling  for  a 
long  period  has  not  been  that  of  a  pastor,  to  undertake 
such  a  task.  But  there  is  something  to  be  said  by  way 
of  apology.  Prior  to  his  call  to  educational  work  the 
writer  was  for  sixteen  years  engaged  in  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry,  and  the  Lord  blessed  his  labor. 
To  this  he  may  add,  that  although  for  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  his  work  has  been  in  another  sphere  than 
that  of  the  pastorate,  he  has  never  ceased  to  be  a 
preacher  of  the  everlasting  gospel.  During  not  a  few 
of  those  years  there  was  scarcely  a  Sunday  on  which 
he  did  not  occupy  the  pulpit,  while  frequently  on  other 
days  he  had  occasion  to  preach  Christ  to  the  people. 
Perhaps  these  considerations  will  serve  to  shield  him 
from  the  charge  of  presuming  too  much  when,  in  his 
earnest  desire  to  serve  the  Master  to  the  full  extent 
of  his  ability,  he  consents  to  the  publication  of  these 
sermons."  I  was  not  mistaken  in  my  judgment  as  to 
the  need  of  such  a  work,  and  was  never  accused  of' 
presumptuousness  in  my  consenting  to  assist  in  sup- 


402 


^tot^  ot  fi^g  %itt 


plying  it.  The  book  has  rendered  good  service  and 
is  rendering  it  still. 

In  two  other  instances  I  was  not  in  so  favorable 
a  condition  to  comply  with  the  wishes  of  our  Publica- 
tion Board,  though  I  was  in  complete  agreement  with 
my  brethren  in  regard  to  the  Church's  need  of  the 
books  which  they  desired  me  to  write.  I  could  not 
command  the  necessary  time  for  the  work,  strong  as 
my  inclinations  were  to  undertake  it.  One  of  these 
books  has  since  been  prepared  by  other  parties,  and 
the  want  has  accordingly  been  supplied;  the  other 
is  still  needed,  but  it  is  probably  now  too  late  for  me 
to  think  of  doing  the  work,  much  as  I  still  wish  it 
were  done. 

If  I  remem.ber  rightly  the  volume  on  the  "Chris- 
tian Church,"  pubHshed  in  1896,  is  the  only  one  of 
my  books  which  was  not  written  at  the  solicitation  of 
others,  or  did  not  result  from  work  done  independently 
of  the  publication.  This  book  was  written  with  a 
view  of  issuing  it  to  the  public  as  a  complete  volume, 
the  contents  of  which  had  not  been  before  published 
in  a  different  form.  The  fact  of  writing  it  while  I 
was  urged  to  write  on  other  subjects,  the  importance 
of  which  I  fully  recognized,  indicates  how  profoundly 
I  felt  the  need  of  treating  the  subject  chosen.     The 

403 


fetot?  of  S^p  ILite 


preface  frankly  states  the  attitude  of  my  mind. 
^'Simply  because  the  writer  thought  that  he  could  ren- 
der some  service  to  the  Church  which  he  loves  did  he 
undertake  to  write  and  does  he  now  presume  to  publish 
this  book.  The  subject  is  one  which  he  believes  that 
it  would  be  profitable  for  all  Christian  people  to  under- 
stand, and  he  has  therefore,  in  setting  it  forth,  endeav- 
ored to  meet  the  wants  not  only  of  the  ministry,  but 
of  all  who  are  concerned  about  the  work  and  welfare 
of  the  Holy  Christian  Church,  the  Communion  of 
Saints.  Whether  he  thought  rightly,  and  whether  his 
endeavors  have  been  successful,  must  needs  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  judgment  of  the  reader."  My  con- 
victions relative  to  the  importance  of  the  subject  pre- 
sented and  the  need  of  understanding  it,  both  for 
theological  and  practical  purposes,  have  remained  the 
same,  and  I  am  therefore  still  glad  that  the  book  was 
written  and  published,  and  that  it  is  still  offered  by 
our  Book  Concern  to  all  who  desire  to  buy  it  and  read 
it.  Much  evil  results  from  the  erroneous  views  pre- 
valent on  the  subject,  many  of  which  are  essentially 
Romish,  though  entertained  and  propagated  by 
churches  and  parties  that  make  a  special  boast  of  their 
stern  Protestantism  and  utter  freedom  from  all  taint 
of  popery.     So  great  is  the  ignorance,  or  so  superficial 


404 


fbtm  ot  9^v  mtt 


the  opinions,  in  vogue  on  the  subject  among  some 
Christians  that  the  fundamental  error  of  Rome  in  re- 
gard to  the  Church  is  accepted  as  the  rule  by  which 
all  churches  are  judged,  notwithstanding  their  appar- 
ently sincere  condemnation  of  Romanism  as  an  Anti- 
Christian  usurpation.  Observation  of  current  thought 
and  methods  has  convinced  the  writer  that  other  prin- 
ciples than  those  which  won  the  victories  of  early 
Christianity  and  of  original  Protestantism  have  crept 
into  the  Church,  and  have  darkened  counsel  in  regard 
to  her  nature  and  design  and  power  and  duty.  They 
have  even  become  influential  enough  to  disqualify 
many  a  Christian  for  forming  a  sound  judgment  re- 
specting her  doctrine  and  her  practice,  and  to  render 
many  a  teacher  an  unsafe  guide.  Error  is  always 
perilous,  and  those  who  tell  us  to  give  earnest  heed  to 
the  work  and  never  mind  the  contentions  about  creed, 
are  not  the  men  whose  advice  commends  them  to  the 
confidence  of  thoughtful  children  of  God,  or  mani- 
fests any  qualification  for  leadership  in  the  war  which 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  waging  against  the  kingdom 
of  darkness,  with  all  its  lying  wonders  and  deceiv- 
ableness  of  unrighteousness."  It  was  a  sincere  labor 
of  love  that  I  engaged  in  when  I  wrote  my  book  on 
the  Church,  and  all  my  reward  was  in  the  service 


405 


gs»tot^  ot  ^v  ^itt 


which  I  designed  to  render  and  think  I  did  render 
my  brethren  in  Christ. 

It  is  needless,  in  this  review  of  my  work  as  author, 
to  mention  the  numerous  pamphlets  bearing  my  name. 
Some  of  them  are  carefully  prepared  essays  of  con- 
siderable length,  but  none  of  them,  so  far  as  I  remem- 
ber, was  originally  written  for  separate  publication. 
Mostly  they  are  articles  from  periodicals  which  friends 
thought  it  desirable  to  have  reprinted  for  wider  cir- 
culation. My  share  in  such  publication  usually  con- 
sisted only  in  giving  my  consent  that  it  should  be 
done.  Ever  since  I  became  a  member  of  the  Synod 
I  have  also  been  a  member  of  various  committees 
appointed  to  compile  and  edit  the  books  needed  for 
the  services  of  the  Church,  and  thus  had  part  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Hymn  Books,  Liturgies  and  Cate- 
chisms in  use  among  us,  both  in  German  and  Eng- 
lish. While  my  work  in  this  respect  added  little  to 
my  authorship,  it  did,  like  much  of  my  literary  labor 
in  preparing  reports  for  Synod,  and  meeting  similar 
demands  upon  my  time,  contribute  not  a  little  towards 
making  mine  the  busy  life  that  it  was.  With  voice 
and  pen,  with  heart  and  hand,  I  strove  to  be  diligent 
in  the  good  Master's  business,  who  saved  me  with 
so  great  a  salvation  and  deigned  to  use  me  now  to 
spread  His  praise  abroad. 

m 


CHAPTER  X. 

EMERITUS. 

TOWARDS  the  end  of  May,  1902,  I  returned  from 
my  class  work  in  an  agony  of  pain,  that  made 
it  a  marvel  how  I  could  reach  my  home  without 
assistance.  A  physician  was  called,  to  whom  I  de- 
scribed as  well  as  I  could  the  pangs  in  my  breast, 
extending  up  into  the  throat  and  out  into  the  left 
shoulder.  He  feared  it  was  angina  pectoris,  and  pre- 
scribed for  this  somewhat  rare  disease,  but  called 
another  physician  in  consultation,  and  afterwards  a 
third,  the  decision  being  in  each  case  the  same.  Day 
after  day  and  night  after  night,  for  months,  the  pangs 
continued,  sometimes  as  many  as  ten  paroxysms  in  a 
day,  and  threatening  death,  but  each  passing  away 
and  an  interval  of  comparative  ease  intervening,  save 
for  anxiety  about  the  next.  This  time  of  suffering 
was  a  time  of  nearness  to  God,  who  is  a  very  present 
help  in  trouble.  I  knew,  and  know,  that  my  Re- 
deemer lives,  and  though  nature  shrinks  from  dying, 
I  had  nothing  to  fear  and  feared  nothing  in  regard 

to  the  future  world,  but  rather  thought  with  glad- 

407 


&t0t^  0t  a^p  JLitt 


ness  of  the  Father's  house  with  its  many  mansions, 
whither  my  Savior  had  gone  to  prepare  a  place  also 
for  me.  It  was  only  the  pain  that  was  dreadful,  and 
that  would  be  no  more  when  this  earthly  life,  bearing 
the  consequences  of  sin  and  the  seeds  of  death,  should 
cease.  I  saw  the  Lord's  goodness,  which  during  my 
whole  life  was  shown  me  beyond  all  I  could  think, 
even  in  my  distressed  condition,  weaning  me  from  all 
things  earthy  and  presenting  the  wonderful  salvation 
of  sinners  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  as  blissful 
reality  beyond  all  compare.  It  was  a  great  blessing 
that  my  mind  remained  unclouded,  and  that  I  could 
read  and  meditate,  in  the  intervals  of  freedom  from 
heart-pangs,  as  well  as  my  eyes  and  heart  were  ever 
capable  of  doing;  and  when  seasons  of  despondency 
came,  as  they  often  did,  they  never  shook  my  faith 
in  the  truth  revealed  in  the  gospel  or  my  own  assur- 
ance of  salvation  through  the  boundless  grace  of  God 
in  Christ.  As  time  wore  on  the  pangs  became  less 
frequent,  and  now  I  have  had  none  of  those  dreadful 
paroxysms  for  more  than  a  year,  though  still  required 
to  avoid  all  physicial  exertion  and  mental  excite- 
ment and  take  my  medicines  regularly,  lest  the  dis- 
ease break  out  anew.  So  I  am  now  enjoying  com- 
parative ease  and  comfort,   Synod  having  made  me 

408 


fetors  oC  9^v  ^itt 


Professor  emeritus  with  all  the  rights  and  emoluments 
of  my  office  as  before  my  disablement,  with  the  large 
liberty  of  doing  what  and  as  I  think  best. 

Of  course  I  try  to  do  something  still,  however 
little  it  may  now  be,  in  the  cause  to  which  my  life 
has  been  devoted.  Age  is  having  its  effect  upon  me 
as  well  as  disease,  but  my  senses  are  all  sound,  and 
my  intellect  is  still  active,  so  that  I  at  least  try  to  con- 
tribute the  mite  my  condition  permits  to  the  work  of 
the  Church  I  love.  I  am  aware  that  this  contribution 
is  not  of  large  importance,  but  I  have  learned  that 
every  little  is  a  help,  and  that  many  littles  may  aggre- 
gate much.  Accordingly,  while  heeding  the  medical  ad- 
monition to  refrain  from  any  great  exertion,  physical  or 
mental,  I  use  my  pen  and  voice  with  prudent  care,  but 
still  so  that  occasionally  an  article  for  one  or  the  other 
of  our  periodicals,  and  in  some  instances  a  talk  to  the 
students,  has  resulted.  It  could  not  be  reasonable  to  put 
such  a  strict  construction  on  the  admonition  of  my 
physician  as  to  make  it  equivalent  to  a  prohibition 
of  all  action  in  body  or  mind.  I  cannot  sleep  all  the 
time,  nor  can  I  sit  or  lie  still  all  the  time.  I  have 
written  a  goodly  number  of  papers  both  in  English 
and  in  German  during  this  period  of  enforced  inac- 
tivity as  professor  emeritus,  and  I  flatter  myself  that 

409 


&totg  Dt  ^v  ^itt 


some  good  has  been  done  by  their  pubHcation,  without 
any  manifest  harm  to  myself.  In  using  my  voice  I 
have  been  less  successful.  That  organ  has  suffered 
severely,  and  its  weakness  renders  speaking  with  suf- 
ficient force  to  be  distinctly  heard  in  public  too  much 
of  a  strain  upon  me  to  be  safe.  I  have  therefore 
made  no  attempt  to  preach,  and  the  lectures  which  I 
had  planned  last  autumn  were  abandoned  after  the 
six  or  eight  which  completed  the  first  series.  My 
experience  was  such  that  I  have  not  since  had  the 
courage  to  undertake  the  second  course,  which  had 
been  projected.  For  needful  physical  exercise  in  the 
open  air  my  situation  affords  me  ample  opportunity. 
When  I  became  able  to  go  out  a  block  or  two  from 
my  house,  I  took  little  walks  around  the  square,  and 
my  wife  accompanied  me  when  I  ventured  farther 
away.  Once  or  tv/ice  I  consented  to  take  rides  on 
the  motor  lines.  But  all  these  plans  proved  disappoint- 
ments, no  doubt  largely  owing  to  the  timidity  which 
disease  and  doctors  had  inspired.  My  rheumatic  ail- 
ment subjected  me  to  pains  in  riding  and  my  strength 
failed  in  walking.  I  was  therefore  uncomfortable 
when  I  ventured  a  little  distance  from  home.  When 
the  spring  came  the  remedy  was  found.  My  old  love 
of  gardening  returned  with  renewed  energy,  and  my 


410 


fetotp  oe  ^v  ^itt 


dear  home  furnished  the  opportunity  to  gratify  it.  My 
garden  is  my  delight.  All  the  physical  exercise  of 
which  I  am  capable  can  be  taken  there  with  pleasure, 
and  the  conditions  are  such  that  I  can  move  about 
or  rest  at  will,  working  or  stopping  work  as  judgment 
dictates.  My  decision  therefore  is  to  stay  at  home, 
where  the  goodness  of  God  has  supplied  me  with  all 
that  is  requisite,  without  subjecting  me  to  unnecessary 
pains  and  discomforts  in  the  quest  of  health.  I  am 
thus  using  the  discretionary  power  which  was  given 
me  in  regard  to  work,  and  have  no  plans  for  the 
future,  except  the  general  one  of  continuing  to  serve 
God  as  I  shall  be  able  in  the  little  time  yet  allotted 
me. 

In  these  days  of  ample  leisure  it  is  natural  that  my 
thoughts  should  often  revert  to  scenes  and  experiences 
of  the  past,  and  this  will,  at  least  in  part,  account 
for  writing  this  story  of  my  life  in  which  I  am  here 
engaged,  and  which  I  probably  never  could  have  been 
induced  to  undertake  while  health  and  strength  lasted 
for  more  important  work.  I  look  back  now,  as  a  sin- 
ner saved  by  grace,  over  a  busy  life  which  brought 
me  into  frequent  conflicts  not  only  with  men  whose 
whole  view  of  God  and  man  was  fundamentally  dif- 
ferent from  mine,  and  who  were  enemies  of  the  cross 

411 


&tDtp  ot  a^p  jLUt 


of  Christ,  through  which  alone  human  souls  could 
or  can  be  rescued  from  the  impending  doom,  but  also 
with  men  who  like  myself  professed  to  be  Christians, 
but  between  whom  and  me  there  were  confessional 
differences.  At  least  some  of  these  were  not  of  a 
character  that  would  necessitate  the  belief  that  they 
would  prevent  our  ever  meeting  together  |in  our 
Father's  house  to  praise  eternally  that  grace  which  has, 
in  the  Lamb  of  God,  prepared  equal  salvation  for  all 
poor  sinners.  In  the  broader  and  intenser  light  that 
has  come  to  me  through  many  years  of  study  and 
experience,  all  solemnized  now  by  the  near  prospect 
of  death  and  after  death  the  judgment,  would  not  my 
position  and  course  be  different,  if  I  had  my  life  to 
live  over  again  ?  My  answer  must  be  an  emphatic  No ! 
I  think  I  would  and  could  do  some  things  better,  but 
that  I  loved  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Church  and  spent  my 
strength  in  her  service  —  for  this  I  have  no  regrets. 
The  same  faith  that  sustained  me  and  cheered  me  in 
the  labors  and  battles  and  sufferings  of  a  long  life, 
animates  me  still  as  the  end  approaches  and  the  even- 
ing time  brings  the  promised  light. 

I  was  always  sensitive  about  the  oft-repeated 
charge,  that  the  Lutheran  faith,  when  it  exerted  its 
native  power  in  the  soul  and  produced  its  proper  results 


412 


fetorp  oe  9^v  ^itt 


in  the  thinking  and  practice  of  men,  rendered  them 
self-conceited  and  bigoted,  unloving  and  exclusive. 
Such  reproaches  grieved  me,  not  because  I  recog- 
nized some  bitter  truth  in  the  charge,  but  because 
they  not  only  betrayed  an  ignorance  that  disqualified 
the  accuser  for  any  judgment  in  the  matter,  but  in- 
volved a  wanton  assault  upon  the  personal  character 
of  the  accused.  It  was  painful  to  me,  when  I  was 
conscious  of  desiring  to  maintain  the  truth  for  the 
glory  of  our  Lord  and  for  the  good  of  the  souls 
that  He  bought  with  a  price,  to  have  my  motives 
impeached  and  my  honest  purpose  of  love  represented 
as  the  outgrowth  of  selfishness  and  malice.  Such 
slanderous  imputations  it  is  difficult  to  bear  without 
resentment,  and  all  the  more  so  when  the  wanton 
accusers  cannot  justly  be  regarded  as  willful  enemies 
of  Christ  and  His  Church,  but  may,  notwithstanding 
the  grievous  sin  and  gross  wrong  which  they  commit 
yet  be  Christians  who,  on  account  of  their  ignorance 
and  the  wantonness  of  their  flesh,  are  carried  to  lengths 
of  hostility  towards  others  which  their  better  self,  if 
it  had  a  chance,  would  undoubtedly  condemn.  They 
are  wrongs  which  must  be  borne,  and  the  grace  of  God 
is  sufficient  also  for  such  endurance;  but  these  people 
are  hard  to  handle,  because  under  the  blinding  power 

413 


fetors  Dt  a^^  %itt 


of  the  flesh  they  impute  to  us  the  sin  which  obscures 
their  own  vision.  When  HberaHsts  and  indifferentists 
and  unionists  insist  that  our  whole  Lutheran  conten- 
tion is  the  outcome  of  an  ungodly  overestimation  of 
our  own  intellectual  powers,  and  of  a  carnal  hatred 
of  others  which  leaves  no  room  for  Christian  charity 
towards  them,  a  wall  of  separation  of  another  sort  is 
erected  between  us  and  them,  which,  superadded  to 
their  false  doctrine  forming  the  original  trouble, 
makes  it  peculiarly  difficult  to  get  along  with  them. 
I  tried  to  have  all  patience  with  the  erring,  but  when 
opponents  pronounced  me  a  bad  man  because  I  insisted 
on  the  truth  which  our  Church  confesses,  and  declared 
that  there  could  be  no  Christian  love  in  my  heart  as 
long  as  I  persisted  in  such  Lutheran  faith  and  prac- 
tice, it  required  more  than  ordinary  care  not  to  say 
some  unduly  severe  things  in  applying  the  law  to 
such  presumptuous  judging  of  our  hearts. 

Many  of  the  controversies  in  which  it  v/as  my  lot 
to  engage,  notably  those  with  the  General  Synod  and 
the  General  Council,  centered  in  differences  in  regard 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  and  the  right  appre- 
ciation of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation.  In  these 
cases  we  all  bore  the  Lutheran  name,  but  the  differ- 
ence was  not  the  less  great  on  that  account.    It  is  still 

414 


btotv  ot  9^v  ^itt 


a  wonder  to  me,  how  our  contention  could  be  thought 
so  trivial  by  intelligent  men  and  be  treated  by  some 
of  them  as  a  mere  manifestation  of  bad  temper  and 
an  outbreak  of  personal  piques.  I  entertain  the  same 
convictions  to-day  as  I  did  then,  and  regret  that  the 
General  Synod  and  General  Council  has  not  yet  learned 
to  appreciate  our  Ohio  position,  but  continue  in  a 
course  that  makes  the  continuance  of  the  warfare 
against  them  a  work  of  faith  that  we  are  not  at  liberty 
to  relinquish.  There  were  some  points  which  I  con- 
sidered essential  not  only  for  the  prosperity,  but  even 
for  the  very  existence  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
my  regret  is  not  that  I  contended  earnestly  for  them 
as  I  do  still,  but  that  our  opponents,  whether  ignor- 
antly  or  otherwise,  mystified  and  obscured  them  by 
the  introduction  of  irrelevant  topics,  and  thus  pre- 
vented the  proper  appreciation  of  the  questions  at 
issue.  What  made  me  a  Christian  made  me  a  Lu- 
theran, and  what  made  me  a  Lutheran  made  me  a 
determined  foe  of  all  liberalism  and  unionism  that, 
whether  consciously  and  intentionally  or  not,  operates 
to  the  undermining  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  to  the 
shameful  disparagement  of  the  great  Reformation,  and 
ultimately  to  the  attempted  overthrow  of  the  Chris- 


415 


fetorp  ot  a^p  %itt 


tian  Church   against  which   the  gates  of  Hell  shall 
not  prevail. 

The  Church  was  and  is  an  article  of  my  faith, 
and  this  placed  me  in  unavoidable  opposition  to  all 
human  devices  and  schemes  for  building  up  churches 
on  human  foundations  and  by  human  means,  and  to 
substituting  human  opinions  for  the  Word  of  God, 
thus  supplanting  by  human  merit  the  one  foundation 
which  God  has  laid  and  which  seems  so  inadequate 
in  the  eyes  of  human  wisdom.  Men  who  had  a  repu- 
tation for  ability  and  piety  would  persist  in  trying  to 
shame  me  and  silence  me  by  referring  to  the  acknowl- 
edged fact,  that  there  are  Christians  in  other  churches 
as  well  as  in  the  Lutheran,  and  that  it  does  not  beseem 
Lutherans  of  proper  Christian  humility  and  modesty 
to  claim  so  much,  for  their  church  to  the  disparage- 
ment of  others,  especially  as  such  claim  implies  that 
these  others  are  not  Christian  churches  at  all,  and 
that  their  members  cannot  be  recognized  as  Christians. 
The  argument  is  specious  and  well  calculated  to  drive 
modest  Lutherans  from  the  field,  as  it  certainly  would 
if  they  had  no  faith.  I  am  glad  that  the  Lord  who 
redeemed  me  and  called  me  by  the  gospel  to  the 
glorious  inheritance  of  God's  children  gave  me  this 

grace  also,  that  I  would  not  be  frightened  and  could 

416 


fetor?  ot  9^v  fiitt 


bear  some  contumely  in  a  cause  so  precious.  The 
thought  was  not  entertained  for  a  moment  that  I  was 
the  equal  of  my  opponents  in  learning  or  holiness, 
much  less  their  superior.  God  had  done  much  for  me, 
and  I  was  not  at  all  minded,  in  an  ungrateful  mock- 
humility,  to  deny  or  disparage  His  gifts,  as  though 
they  became  worthless  by  their  bestowal  upon  an  un- 
worthy subject.  But  I  had  the  grace  to  see  that  this 
was  not  the  question  in  dispute.  If  the  question  had 
been  whether  the  members  of  other  churches  or  of 
other  synods  in  our  church  were  bigger  or  better  men 
than  we  of  the  Ohio  Synod,  I  am  sure  that  I  would 
not  have  entered  the  arena  for  a  fight  about  it. 
We  recognized  mental  and  moral  and  spiritual  power 
wherever  we  saw  it,  as  we  recognized  physical  bulk 
and  weight,  but  the  one  had  no  more  to  do  with  the 
question  in  controversy  than  the  other.  Intellectual 
superiority  may  have  some  influence  in  estimating  the 
value  of  theories,  but  cannot  determine  the  facts  which 
lie  in  view  of  all  men;  and  the  little  weight  which 
may  attach  to  expert  authority  in  matters  of  human 
thought  has  no  bearing  on  questions  of  divine  reve- 
lation, which  are  decided  only  by  divine  authority. 
That  "Christ  died  to  save  sinners"  may  be  disputed 
by  men  of  marvelous  mental  power,  and  has  been 
27  417 


&tor^  ot  ^v  l^itt 


denied  by  some  whose  learning  and  logic  are  acknowl- 
edged all  over  the  world:  is  it  expected  of  me,  who 
believe  it  and  rest  all  my  hopes  in  life  and  death  and 
immortality  upon  it,  that  I  shall  be  humble  enough, 
recognizing  the  superior  ability  of  these  men,  in  def- 
erence to  them  to  renounce  my  happy  faith  and  die 
like  a  dog?  The  matter  is  too  plain  to  reason  about, 
notwithstanding  that  Christian  men  of  learning  vir- 
tually accept  the  absurd  fancy  and  confront  us  Lu- 
therans with  arguments  based  upon  it.  I  not  only 
did  not  possess  the  humility  to  renounce  the  truth  of 
the  gospel  in  deference  to  the  superior  ability  of  such 
antagonists,  but  did  have  the  faith  to  despise  such 
godless  travesties  of  humility,  and  to  warn  able  men 
who  professed  to  be  Christians  against  the  wiles  of 
the  devil,  who  meant  them  no  good  when  he  led 
them  into  such  wretched  sophistry.  No  doubt  my  ex- 
pressions sometimes  seemed  harsh;  how  could  it  be 
otherwise  ?  The  confession  of  the  truth  is  of  necessity 
the  condemnation  of  the  opposite  falsehood,  and  in 
proportion  as  that  truth  is  appreciated  as  divine  and 
loved  as  of  heavenly  import,  will  the  opposing  false- 
hood be  hated  as  a  Satanic  lie  that  imports  a  male- 
diction.    I  never  contended  that  other  denominations 

are  not  churches,  or  that'  members  of  other  churches 

418 


fetotp  ot  ^v  ^itt 


are  not  Christians.  That  was  never  the  subject  in  con- 
troversy when  the  fight  was  against  unionism  in  our 
Synod,  or  when  the  war  was  waged  against  the  Gen- 
eral Synod  and  the  General  Council,  or  when  the  con- 
flict was  against  other  denominations  generally.  My 
contention  was  that  the  truth  of  the  gospel  confessed 
by  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Church  is  the  very  truth  of  God, 
which  the  faith  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit  through 
the  means  of  grace  embraces  for  its  comfort  and 
peace  in  view  of  sin  and  death,  and  that  Lutheran 
believers  are  bound,  in  fidelity  to  the  Lord  and  His 
gospel,  to  maintain  that  truth  on  divine  authority,  to 
build  their  congregations  on  that  basis,  and  to  con- 
tend earnestly  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 
This  constituted  my  offence. 

And  this  is  my  contention  still.  The  Holy  Chris- 
tian Church  is  the  Communion  of  Saints,  the  one  con- 
gregation of  believers  in  Christ,  who  is  alone  the  Sa- 
viour of  the  world.  This  article  of  the  Apostles'  Creed 
is  part  of  my  faith.  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Christian 
Church  as  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  this  some 
of  those  with  whom  I  came  into  conflict  were  evidently 
not  agreed  with  me.  When  they  charged  me  and  the 
Ohio  Synod  with  denying  that  there  is  any  other  but 

the  Lutheran  Church,  they  built  their  charges  on  their 

419 


&tot^  ot  ^v  ^iit 


own  errors,  and  made  their  inferences  from  their  own 
fancies.  We  never  said  such  things  as  they  imputed 
to  us.  They  did  not  venture  to  allege  that  we  said 
them,  but  only  inferred  that  we  must  have  meant  them, 
though  they  knew  quite  well  that  we  were  always^ 
careful  to  say  what  we  meant  as  plainly  as  possible. 
We  did  say  that  the  Lutheran  is  the  Church  of  the 
pure  Word  and  Sacrament,  and  that  every  article  of 
her  Confession  is  the  truth  which  God's  Word  teaches 
on  that  subject,  so  that  the  rejection  of  such  article 
of  our  Lutheran  faith  is  a  rejection  of  the  truth  written 
in  the  Bible  for  our  learning.  If  some  professing 
Christians  will  not  join  us  in  this  Confession,  we 
deplore  that  fact,  but  the  truth  remains  the  same,  and 
our  faith  clings  to  it  all  the  same.  If  some  of  them 
think  that  we  have  erred  and  that  they  have  found  a 
better  doctrine  and  established  it  on  better  grounds, 
and  therefore  deem  it  necessary  to  put  forth  a  different 
confession  and  build  up  congregations  on  another  basis, 
we  deplore  this  still  more,  as  it  makes  divisions  among 
us,  which  God's  Word  has  forbidden,  and  lays  on  us 
the  obligation  to  "mark  them  which  cause  divisions 
and  offences,  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye  have 
learned,  and  avoid  them."  Rom.  i6,  17.  But  the 
truth  and  our  faith  still  remain  the  same;  no  thought- 


420 


&t0t^  Of  S^v  ^itt 


ful  man,  least  of  all  a  thoughtful  believer,  would 
presume  that  the  misconduct  of  such  professing  Chris- 
tians could  change  these  verities  or  the  believing 
heart's  hold  on  them.  Such  people  have  used  a  liberty 
which  the  Creator  has  allowed  them,  and  for  the 
use  of  which  He  holds  them  responsible,  and  we  have 
nothing  further  to  do  with  the  matter.  They  have 
established  a  Church  in  separation  from  ours,  be- 
cause they  could  not  accept  our  confession  of  faith 
and  abide  in  our  fellowship.  Theirs  is  a  church  also, 
but  not  the  Lutheran.  It  is  a  different  Church,  and 
the  difference  is  that  they  have  renounced  some  por- 
tions of  the  truth  witnessed  in  our  Confession,  and 
declared  their  adherence  to  some  human  errors  which 
they  have  set  forth  as  divine  truth.  They  form  a 
Church,  but  an  erring  Church,  as  distinguished  from 
the  Lutheran  Church  with  its  pure  Confession,  and 
thus  the  Church  of  the  pure  Word  and  Sacrament. 
Not  the  least  intimation  is  ever  given  among  us  that 
on  that  account  we  deny  that  they  are  Christians. 
That  is  an  entirely  different  matter.  God  knoweth 
them  that  are  His,  and  He  alone  knows  them.  Only 
He  can  prove  the  heart  and  the  reins  and  knoweth 
what  is  in  man.  It  is  arrogance  to  presume  to  judge 
the  heart.     Never  have  we  presumed  to  say  that  the 


421 


fetocp  oC  fil^p  JLitt 


Lutheran  is  the  only  visible  Christian  Church  and 
that  all  true  Christians  are  found  within  her  visible 
organization.  She  is  the  one  visible  Church  of  the 
pure  evangelical  confession,  and  we  who  hold  her 
faith  hold  also  that  others  err  so  far  as  they  depart 
from  the  truth  which  she  confesses  and  are  thus 
erring  churches. 

Of  course  the  Lutheran  is  not  the  one  holy  Chris- 
tian Church  in  which  we  in  our  Creed  profess  to 
believe.  No  visible  organization  is  that.  The  one 
Church  of  Christ  is  the  aggregate  of  all  believers  — 
not  of  all  churches  and  sects,  but  of  all  believers. 
Her  test  of  membership  is  faith,  not  a  certain  form 
of  government,  not  the  cultus,  not  the  discipline, 
not  even  the  confession,  but  only  the  faith,  which 
embraces  Christ  and  with  Him,  forgiveness  of  sins,  life, 
and  salvation.  To  apply  that  test  is  God's  prerogative, 
not  ours.  Whether  he  calls  himself  a  Lutheran  or 
a  Wesleyan  or  a  Calvinist  or  a  Romanist,  whoever  is 
a  believer  is  a  member,  and  only  whoever  is  a  be- 
liever. Calling  himself  a  Lutheran  will  not  secure  the 
eternal  inheritance  of  the  saints,  if  one  is  not  a  be- 
liever; calling  himself  a  member  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  will  not  deprive  him  of  that  inheritance, 
if  he  is  a  believer.     Believers  are  God's  saints,  and 

432 


jbtorp  ot  9^v  IBLitt 


they  form  the  communion  of  saints,  the  one  Church, 
of  Girist.  That  there  is  such  a  Church  we  beUeve, 
and  we  are  sure  of  it  only  because  we  believe  the 
Word  with  its  precious  promises  regarding  the  effi- 
cacy of  God's  means  to  gather  and  maintain  such 
a  congregation  of  believers.  How  then  could  there 
be  any  justice,  to  say  nothing  of  charity,  in  charging 
us  with  the  sin  of  denying  that  members  of  other  de- 
nominations are  Christians,  or  of  pronouncing  damna- 
tion on  them  because  they  will  not  profess  to  be  Lu- 
therans? It  is  a  flagrant  wrong  that  is  done  us  by 
such  damning  charges,  and  it  is  surely  none  the  less 
flagrant  when  those  who  deal  out  such  anathemas 
claim  to  be  special  apostles  of  love  and  vital  piety. 
We  have  suffered  much  under  such  outrageous  rail- 
ings, but  it  has  not  shaken  our  faith  in  the  existence 
of  one  holy  Christian  Church,  to  which  all  believers 
belong,  whatever  may  otherwise  be  their  short- 
comings, knowing  that  sinners  are  justified  by  faith, 
not  by  the  deeds  of  the  law.  Sustained  by  faith  we 
have  gone  on  with  our  labor  of  love,  which  was  de- 
signed for  the  good  of  those  who  cursed  us  as  well 
as  for  all  others  who  would  hear  us,  that  we  might  help 
a  little  towards  rescuing  people  from  the  abominable 
tyranny  of  popery  with  its  delusions  about  the  king- 

423 


fetot^  ot  ^v  mat 


dom  of  God,  which  is  not  of  this  world,  as  if  it 
were  an  external  organization  with  visible  tests  of 
membership  and  external  titles  to  the  inheritance  of 
saints,  substituting  the  human  figment  of  righteous- 
ness by  works  for  the  righteousness  of  God  by  faith. 
And  of  course  I  went  on  with  my  work  as  a  Lutheran 
believer,  working  with  my  might  in  the  interest  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  notwithstanding  that  many,  some 
professed  friends  and  some  open  foes,  persisted  in  rep- 
resenting this  as  a  manifestation  of  lovelessness  and 
bigotry,  and  of  hostility  to  Christianity  whenever  and 
wherever  it  failed  to  bear  the  Lutheran  name. 

The  one  Church  of  Christ  existed  before  Luther's 
day  and  the  work  of  mercy  which  was  effected  through 
his  instrumentality.  It  did  not  seem  so,  when  we  read 
of  the  horrible  conditions  prevailing  in  the  papacy, 
and  under  its  despotic  sway  it  does  not  seem  so  now. 
But  the  gates  of  hell  had  not  prevailed  against  the 
Church  of  Christ.  It  existed  notwithstanding  all  the 
abominations  of  the  Antichrist.  There  v/ere  Chris- 
tian people  yet  under  his  despotic  sway.  And  when 
Luther  presented  the  gospel  in  its  purity  and  brought 
its  comfort  to  the  hearts  of  Christ's  suffering  people, 
his  assault  upon  the  papal  abominations  were  vigorous 

in  proportion  to  the  love  which  he  had  to  the  truth 

424 


fetotg  of  ^n  %iU 


and  to  the  people  whom  it  was  designated  to  set  free. 
Did  he  hate  the  Christian  believers,  who  then  as  now 
and  always  constituted  the  one  Church  of  the  living 
-God,  the  ground  and  pillar  of  the  truth  when  he  made 
his  terrible  assaults  upon  the  papacy?  When  those 
who  accepted  the  gospel  gathered  around  the  glorious 
Augsburg  Confession  and  became  known  as  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  in  contra-distinction  to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  which  refused  to  accept  the  truth  and  declined 
to  have  the  Lord  reign  over  it  by  His  Word,  preferring 
the  pope  and  his  decretals,  the  situation  was  plain  to 
all  who  are  willing  to  see.  It  could  not  be  the  Lu- 
theran Church  and  the  Papal  Church,  with  equal 
claims  and  mutual  recognition  as  sister  churches,  the 
two  together  forming  co-ordinate  and  co-equal 
branches  recognized  by  our  Lord  as  constituting  His 
one  Holy  Church.  The  Pope  whom  Lutherans  re- 
jected could  not  have  equal  authority  with  the  Eternal 
Son,  our  Saviour,  whose  exclusive  headship  they  ac- 
cepted and  joyfully  confessed.  And  when  some  who 
cut  loose  from  popery  followed  sundry  fanatical  vaga- 
ries of  their  own  and,  guided  by  the  wisdom  of  this 
world,  were  not  willing  to  confess  some  important 
articles  of  the  Lutheran  faith  as  declared  at  Augs- 
burg,  but   drew   up   a   confession   and   organized   a 

425 


fetors  ot  a?p  mu 


Church  of  their  own,  the  Lutheran  Church  could  not 
stultify  itself  and  nullify  its  divinely  authenticated 
claims  by  recognizing^  the  three  Churches,  the  Lu- 
theran and  the  Roman  and  the  Reformed,  as  three 
divisions  existing  by  equal  divine  authority,  and  to- 
gether constituting  the  one  kingdom  of  Christ.  What 
the  Lutheran  Church  could  do,  she  did.  She  held  fast 
to  the  ancient  creed  of  Christendom,  still  believing  in 
one  Christian  Church,  which  is  the  congregation  of 
all  believers,  wherever  they  may  be  found,  but  abiding 
in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  contending 
earnestly  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
and  avoiding  those  who  cause  divisions  and  offenses, 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  she  had  learned  from 
the  Scriptures.  And  that  is  what  she  does  now.  If 
any  one  falsely  concludes  that  because  she  recognizes 
a  visible  Church  wherever  the  divinely  appointed  means 
of  divine  grace  are  employed,  and  this  because  she 
believes  the  promise  of  God  that  the  means  shall  effect 
that  whereunto  they  are  sent,  though  she  cannot 
unerringly  know  in  which  individuals  the  designed 
effect  has  been  produced,  she  must  logically  abandon 
her  love  of  the  truth  revealed  in  the  gospel  for  man's 
salvation,  and  adopt  some  other  test  of  membership 
and  fellowship  than  this  truth  which  she  confessed, 

426 


&tot?  of  9^v  fiitz 


devising  some  other  basis  than  that  of  her  good  con- 
fession, he  draws  a  wild  conclusion,  which  the  Lu- 
theran Church  not  only  cannot  accept,  but  which  in 
her  eyes  is  as  wicked  as  it  is  wild.  The  Roman 
Catholic  organization,  notwithstanding  all  its  danger- 
ous errors  and  usurpations,  is  still  a  Church,  and  has 
some  Christians  in  it ;  but  to  ask  of  us  that  we  should 
on  that  account  hold  fellowship  with  it,  notwithstand- 
ing its  Anti-Christian  doctrines  and  practices,  and 
thus  give  our  sanction  to  its  abominations  and  make 
ourselves  partakers  of  its  sins,  is  to  ask  that  we 
should  withhold  from  our  gracious  Lord  the  glory 
which  belongs  to  Him  and  imperil  our  own  souls,  and 
the  souls  of  millions  whom  error  can  only  harm,  but 
whom  the  truth  may  save. 

For  my  life  of  service  in  the  Lutheran  Church, 
in  steadfast  devotion  to  her  good  confession,  I  have 
therefore  no  apology  to  make.  Nor  have  T  any  re- 
grets that  I  was  unwilling  to  make  concessions  to 
opponents  of  our  Lutheran  position,  though  this  was 
often  imputed  to  mere  carnal  stubbornness.  Oppo- 
nents who  decry  it  as  narrowness  of  heart  and  shallow- 
ness of  brain  to  make  so  much  of  the  particular  Lu- 
theran Church,  with  its  small  minority  in  the  mass 
of  professing  Christians,  and  apparently  so  little  of 

427 


fetors  ot  9^^  JLitt 


the  Universal  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  embracing  all 

Christendom,  do  not  know  the  Lutheran  Church  nor 

the  men  who  devote  themselves  so  heartily  to  its  work 

and  welfare.     If  they  did,  being  honest,  they  would 

see    the    utter    fallacy    and    uncharitableness    of    the 

thoughts   which   underlie  their  censures. 

Our    interest    is   first   and    foremost   in    Christ's 

kingdom  of  truth  and  salvation,  which  is  not  of  this 

world.     Let  no  one  think  that  we  are  indifferent  to 

what  is  done  to  advance  this  kingdom  and  promote 

its  gracious  ends  by  Christians  who  bear  some  other 

than  the  Lutheran  name.     If  Christ  is  honored  and 

souls  are  saved,  our  end  is  attained,  and  we  rejoice  in 

the  blessed  achievement,  as  we  knov/  that  the  angels 

in  heaven  rejoice.    When  a  perishing  soul  is  snatched 

from  the  jaws  of  everlasting  death,  how  could  we, 

who  know  what  such  a  deliverance  means,  otherwise 

than  rejoice,  though  the  mighty  work  of  divine  grace 

were  done  in  the  Romish  or  Reformed  Church,  or  even 

the  Salvation  Army?     But  I,  who  am  gladdened  by 

the  Lord's  work  of  mercy,  am  not  on  that  account  a 

Romanist  or  a  Methodist  or  a  Salvation  Armyist.    On 

the  contrary,  my  very  love  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ 

and  devotion  to  its  aims  and  purposes  makes  me  an 

ardent  Lutheran.     For  all  the  real  good  that  is  done 

428 


fetors  of  ^v  ^itt 


for  the  rescue  of  the  souls  of  men  from  the  eternal 
doom,  is  done  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  through  the 
means  of  His  appointment ;  and  all  that  we  can  hope 
to  accomplish  in  His  service  must  be  through  loyalty 
to  His  Word  and  fidelity  to  His  means,  as  against 
human  errors  and  human  contrivances.  That  means 
that  we  can  work  effectually  in  the  cause  of  the  king- 
dom which  is  not  of  this  world  only  when  we  adhere 
strictly,  as  does  the  Lutheran  Church,  to  the  great 
King's  orders  and  promises.  It  is  His  Kingdom,  and 
saving  souls  is  His  work ;  and  to  accomplish  His  sav- 
ing purpose  we  must  not  only  do  His  bidding,  but 
abide  strictly  by  the  means  through  which  He  is 
pleased  to  execute  His  saving  will.  His  Word  must 
rule  and  do  the  work.  A  departure  from  that  Word 
is  not  only  so  far  forth  disloyalty  to  the  King,  but  a 
step  towards  defeating  His  purpose  by  substituting  im- 
potent human  wisdom  and  device  for  the  Gospel,  which 
is  a  pov/er  of  God  unto  salvation.  Whether  the  pro- 
fessed co-workers  with  God  call  themselves  Luther- 
ans or  not,  is  not  essential  in  the  matter ;  but  whether 
or  not  they  continue  in  the  Lord's  Words  and  employ 
His  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  ends,  and 
thus  are  really  co-workers  with  God,  this  is  essential. 

So   far  as   churches   teach    false   doctrine,   departing 

429 


fetor?  at  9??  JLitt 


to  that  extent  from  the  wisdom  and  way  of  the  Lord, 
who  alone  can  save  and  who  saves  alone  in  His  ap- 
pointed way,  so  far  they  defeat  the  very  end  at  which 
they  profess  to  aim.  Not  the  truth  which  they  confess  is 
the  obnoxious  element  in  their  separate  organizations, 
nor  the  distinctive  name  other  than  Lutheran  which 
they  assume.  The  truth  unites,  error  divides.  Our 
warfare  is  against  their  errors,  by  reason  of  which  they 
have  caused  divisions  and  offences  contrary  to  the 
Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship.  If,  by  reason  of 
the  truth  which  they  have  retained,  souls  by  the  mercy 
of  God  are  still  saved  among  them,  that  is  something 
we  can  rejoice  in  and  thank  God  for ;  but  it  cannot 
make  good  their  deviation  from  the  pure  Gospel,  which 
the  Lutheran  Church  confesses,  or  raise  their  human 
opinions  and  schemes  to  equal  power  and  authority 
with  the  divine  Word,  which  is  quick  and  powerful, 
and  which  alone  is  able  to  save  our  souls.  Erring 
Churches  deceive  themselves  when  they  imagine  that 
any  saving  work  which  the  grace  of  God  effects  among 
them  is  due  to  their  distinctive  character.  If  a  soul 
is  saved,  so  as  by  fire,  in  the  Romish  Church,  it  is  not  by 
Romanism,  which  does  what  it  can  to  hinder  the  opera- 
tion of  divine  truth  through  the  gospel  still  remaining  in 

that  corrupt  organinzation.    And  so  it  is  with  all  other 

430 


fetors  oe  ^v  ^ite 


churches.  To  the  degree  in  which  the  Reformed  par- 
ties adopted  human  errors  and  maintained  them 
against  the  divine  truth  which  the  Lutherans  con- 
fessed at  Augsburg,  insisting  upon  them  even  to  the 
extent  of  causing  division,  and  organizing  a  separate 
church  with  a  different  confession,  they  are  impotent 
for  the  purposes  of  our  Lord  in  the  estabhshment  of 
His  kingdom. 

And  when  now  we  of  the  Ohio  Synod  are  roundly 
reproached  as  scandalously  narrow,  because  of  our 
alleged  exclusive  devotion  to  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
our  supposed  disparagement  of  all  others,  even  to  the 
ignoring  of  the  one  Church  of  Christ,  what  shall  we 
say?  It  is  difficult  to  bear  with  patience  the  wrongs 
inflicted  by  those  who,  while  they  make  special  pro- 
fessions of  Christian  charity  above  all  sincere  Luther- 
ans, ought  to  know  better,  and  in  many  cases  prob- 
ably do  know  better.  In  my  protracted  controversies 
on  this  and  kindred  subjects  I  have  endeavored  to 
bear  patiently  and  speak  the  truth  in  love,  though  I 
knew  the  very  utterance  of  the  truth  would  prove 
offensive.  Can  a  Christian  silently  submit  to  wrong 
and  do  nothing  to  defend  the  Lord's  cause  in  which 
he  is  called  to  engage?    I  had  not  so  learned  Christ, 

and  there  was  war.    But  it  is  an  astounding  thingthat 

431 


fetors  ot  9$v  ^itt 


Christians  should  allow  themselves  to  become  so  mud- 
dled and  tangled  in  their  natural  antipathy  to  conten- 
tion for  the  faith  that  they  maintain  propositions 
which,  in  other  matters,  they  would  at  once  pronounce 
ridiculous. 

Is  it  so  hard  to  see,  that  when  men  contend  earn- 
estly in  the  Lutheran  Church  for  the  faith  once  deliv- 
ered to  the  saints,  their  contention  avails,  and  is  de- 
signed to  avail,  for  the  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this 
world,  for  the  Universal  Church  of  Christ?  Is  it  too 
complex  an  affair  for  ordinary  minds  to  compre- 
hend, that  when  we  put  forth  all  our  strength 
to  maintain  and  perpetuate  the  full  truth  of  the 
gospel  set  forth  in  the  Confession  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  we  are  doing  this  in  the  service  of  Christ 
and  of  the  whole  congregation  of  believers  in 
all  lands  and  in  all  time?  And  is  the  thought  too 
profound  or  too  intricate  for  common  people,  that 
when,  to  preserve  the  purity  of  the  faith,  all  opposing 
error  is  rejected,  and  it  is  the  error  found  in  other  de- 
nominations that  is  attacked,  not  the  points  on  which 
we  are  agreed,  and  which  could  never  have  led  to  a 
separation  and  to  form  a  barrier  between  us?  The 
case  is  as  plain  as  that  of  a  refusal  to  drink  with  peo- 
ple who  persist  in  putting  poison  in  their  water.    Our 


432 


^Utv  t>t  ^V  3Lttt 


warning  is  against  the  poison,  not  the  water ;  and  yet 
against  the  poisoned  water,  and  the  party  that  serves 
it,  even  though  it  be  admitted  that  some  who  drink  it 
may  escape  the  deadly  effects  of  the  poison.  My  cahn 
review  of  my  Hfe  suggests  no  regrets  as  regards  my 
principles  and  consequent  course  of  action  in  this 
respect.  As  regards  other  churches,  whether  of  the 
Romanist  or  Greek  or  Reformed  type,  I  was  always 
ready  to  admit  that,  from  their  point  of  view,  they 
had  a  case  worthy  of  consideration  when  they  con- 
tended that  they  are  right  and  our  glorious  Confes- 
sion is  wrong.  That  is  a  matter  which  our  theologi- 
ans, always  ready  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that 
is  in  them,  have  discussed  at  great  length  and  with 
great  fulness  ever  since  the  days  of  the  Reformation, 
and  are  always  willing  still  to  discuss  with  any  sincere 
inquirer  after  the  truth,  who  may  have  any  doubts  or 
difficulties  about  the  Lutheran  Confession.  If  any 
such  person  ask  a  hearing  he  is  entitled  to  it,  and 
never  fails  to  get  it.  But  ill-natured  and  ill-mannered 
assaults  on  the  Christian  character  of  Lutherans  who, 
ever  ready  to  teach  and  defend  the  truth  which  is 
precious  to  them,  as  the  very  truth  of  God,  have  a  full 
assurance  of  faith  arid  speak  with  assurance  because 

they  believe,  have  no  claims  upon  the  riieek  iridiil- 
*28  433 


fetorp  ot  ^v  3lite 


gence  of  those  whom  they  wantonly  wrong.  And  it 
is  a  different  matter  when  bodies  professing  to  be 
Lutherans  and  thus  claiming  to  hold  and  contend  for 
the  same  glorious  heritage  of  the  Reformation  with 
us,  assail  our  position  and  demand  less  exclusiveness 
and  greater  alleged  liberality  in  the  interest  of  fra- 
ternization with  sects.  If  the  General  Synod  or  the 
General  Council  declared  that  they  are  not  sure  about 
the  complete  gospel  truth  witnessed  before  all  the 
world  in  the  great  Reformatory  Confession  of  Augs- 
burg, our  attitude  toward  them  would  be  different ; 
as  it  is,  they  seem  to  be  of  one  mind  with  us,  while 
their  unionistic  predilections  induce  them  to  make 
concessions  which,  in  their  import  and  consequences, 
conflict  with  the  fundamental  claims  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

The  Ohio  Synod  worked  and  fought  its  way  to 
a  position  in  which,  being  in  possession  of  the  rich 
treasures  of  the  gospel  and  a  true  child  of  the  Refor- 
mation, it  would  yield  nothing  of  her  heritage.  In 
that  position  I  have  shared  her  toils  and  troubles  and 
wars  and  victories.  That  is  her  position  now,  and  it 
is  mine  still.  Neither  menaces  nor  blandishments 
should  lead  us  to  make  concessions   to  any  sect  or 

party  that  would  deprive  us  of  our  jewels  or  depre- 

434 


fetoti?  oe  flpp  JLitt 


ciate  their  eternal  value.  In  things  temporal,  how- 
ever great  may  be  their  worth  for  the  little  while  they 
endure,  compromises  may  be  made  and  portions  may 
be  sacrificed  when  a  greater  good  is  gained  than  has 
thus  been  lost;  in  matters  of  opinion  a  policy  which 
seems  to  us  the  wiser  and  better  may  be  yielded  in 
deference  to  the  judgment  of  others  who  cannot  see 
things  as  we  see  them  when  peace  and  harmony  can 
be  secured  by  such  deed  of  self-denying  charity;  but 
in  matters  of  faith  God's  Word  must  stand  as  the  only 
authority,  and  we  can  stand  only  by  standing  on  it  as 
the  rock  that  remains  firm  when  heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass  away.  The  truth  of  the  gospel  is  not  given 
us  to  barter  away,  but  to  keep  for  the  benefit  of  our 
own  souls  and  of  all  Christendom.  No  right  is  given 
to  any  man  to  make  concessions  in  this  regard,  whether 
they  be  demanded  under  threats  of  disaster  or  en- 
treated by  the  pleadings  of  love.  Let  the  disaster 
come,  which  fidelity  to  the  gospel  may  occasion ;  they 
are  blessings  in  disguise ;  let  the  alleged  love  which 
lures  us  away  from  the  Lord  be  accursed ;  it  is  Satanic, 
even  if  those  employing  it  are  well-meaning  dupes, 
rather  than  deceivers.  The  history  of  the  Church  con- 
firms and  illustrates  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  that 

yielding  little  by  little  leads  to  yielding  more  and  more, 

435 


&tot^  of  9^v  ^itt 


until  all  is  in  danger ;  and  the  tempter  is  never  satis- 
fied until  all  is  lost.  It  seems  but  a  small  concession 
that  we  are  asked  to  make  when  an  article  of  our 
confession  is  represented  as  a  stumbling  block  to  many 
Christians  which  ought  therefore  in  charity  to  be  re- 
moved, but  surrendering  that  article  would  only  lead 
to  the  surrender  of  another  on  the  same  ground,  and 
that  is  the  beginning  of  the  end ;  the  authority  of  the 
inspired  Word  of  our  Lord  is  gradually  undermined. 
There  is  not  an  article  in  our  creed  that  is  not  an 
ofifence  to  somebody ;  there  is  scarcely  an  article  that 
is  not  a  stumbling  block  to  some  who  still  profess  to 
be  Christians.  It  is  impossible  to  find  a  place  to  stop, 
when  the  concessions  once  begin.  And  the  reason  is 
manifest ;  the  principle  is  wrong,  and  displaces  a  prin- 
ciple that  is  right.  The  one  is  human,  the  other  is 
divine;  the  human  opinion  and  sentiment  is  substi- 
tuted as  a  rule  and  guide  for  the  Word  of  God  and 
the  faith  that  accepts  it  as  absolute  authority. 

There  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  Lutheran  Church 
in  this  land  from  running  the  course  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Congregational  churches  now  existing  as  an 
effete  form  under  the  Unitarian  name,  if  once  the 
false   principle   is   admitted.     The   downward   course 

could   be   regulated   only   by   individual   notions    and 

436 


&tar|J  ot  9^v  ^itt 


tastes.  Nothing  seems  to  my  mind  more  conducive 
to  Satan's  malicious  purposes  than  the  argument,  so 
much  urged  nowadays,  that  the  inteUigence  of  the 
world  is  turned  against  Christianity  and  that  the 
Church  must  conciliate  it  and  make  concessions  to  it, 
if  it  desires  to  save  itself  from  utter  ruin.  There  is 
no  plainer  symptom  of  approaching  death  than  this 
very  desire  to  escape  it  by  surrendering  all  that  sus- 
tains life.  And  so  the  requirements  of  science  and 
philosophy  are  met  by  stripping  Christianity  of  all  its 
supernatural  power  and  glory,  and  setting  out  the 
pitiful  cadaver  as  one  of  the  great  religions  of  the 
world.  So  far  has  this  wretched  betrayal  of  the 
Church  into  the  hands  of  its  enemies  been  carried, 
that  it  will  soon  be  as  much  of  a  disgrace  to  claim, 
that  the  Christian  is  the  only  true  religion  and  Christ 
is  the  only  Saviour  of  the  world  lying  in  wickedness, 
as  to  claim  that  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  is  the  one 
Church  that  confesses  the  Gospel  in  its  purity  and, 
holding  fast  the  precious  heritage  of  the  Reformation, 
has  nothing  to  surrender.  As  for  me,  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  serve  the  Lord  faithfully  in  a  busy  life  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  that  Church  and  thus  of  all 
Christendom,  and  at  the  close  of  my  career  I  stand 

by  the  grace  of  God  where  I  stood  ever  since  I  knew 

437 


fbtotv  ot  9??  ilite 


the  Saviour.  And  my  appeal  to  my  brethren  is  still 
the  same :  "Be  faithful  to  the  Lord  who  bought  you 
with  His  blood,  and  to  the  Church  which  abides  by 
His  Word  through  evil  and  through  good  report. 
Finally,  my  brethren,  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in 
the  power  of  His  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of 
God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of 
the  devil.  For  we  wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood, 
but  against  principalities,  against  powers,  against  the 
rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places.  Wherefore  take  unto  you 
the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  with- 
stand in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand." 
Eph.  6,  10-13. 

I  think  that  I  may  truthfully  say  that,  on  the 
whole,  I  am  closing  my  career  in  the  ministry  as  I 
began,  just  fifty-six  years  ago,  with  faith  in  Christ 
and  in  His  Church,  believing  that  the  Saviour  of  the 
world  has  established  a  kingdom  of  believers  on  earth 
against  which  the  gates  of  Hell  shall  not  prevail,  and 
that  when  the  visible  organization  of  that  Church  had 
corrupted  its  way  under  the  Anti-Christian  abomina- 
tions of  popery,  God,  who  never  forsakes  His  people, 
restored    a    true    visible    Church    through    the    great 

Lutheran  Reformation.    That  is  the  Lutheran  Church 

438 


fetot^  oC  99v  ^itt 


with  its  pure  Word  and  Sacrament  and  its  noble 
Evangelical  Confession,  which  all  Christians  should 
have  embraced  then,  and  all  Christians  should  embrace 
now,  that  there  might  be  no  divisions  among  us  in  the 
visible  company  of  confessing  Christians  as  there  are 
none  in  the  one  invisible  body  of  believers,  which  is 
the  body  of  Christ,  the  Lamb's  Bride.  In  this  true 
visible  Church,  the  Evangelical  Lutheran,  I  have  lived 
and  labored  and  suffered  and  rejoiced  until  now,  when 
little  strength  is  left  to  labor,  but  my  faith  and  love 
and  hope  remain  the  same. 

The  prospect  seems  less  bright  since  the  Ohio 
Synod  has  been  deserted  by  its  powerful  ally  of  Mis- 
souri. Our  dear  Lutheran  Church  is  suffering  greatly 
by  the  strenuous  effort  to  introduce  into  her  pure  faith 
the  Calvinistic  element  that  would  corrupt  it  and  dis- 
prove her  claims.  But  our  Ohio  Synod  has  not  ac- 
cepted the  innovation,  and  our  contention  remains  the 
same.  Neither  has  the  Lutheran  Church  accepted  it, 
and  in  nothing  have  we  shown  the  sincerity  of  our 
devotion  to  the  Church  of  the  Augsburg  Confession 
more  distinctly  than  in  our  separating  from  a  body  of 
men  to  whom  we  owe  so  much  and  who  were  so  dear 
to  us,  rather  than  fellowship  error  and  thus  depart 

from  a  principle  which  we  held  in  common  and  which 

439 


motv  ot  a?^  %iu 


both  regarded  essential.  But  the  defection  of  a  pow- 
erful corporation  does  not  change  the  truth  for  which 
we  contended  and  still  contend ;  and  the  final  victory 
is  not  dependent  upon  the  number  of  men  who  con- 
fess it,  or  upon  men  at  all,  but  upon  the  mercy  and 
power  of  God,  who  has  guaranteed  it  by  His  gracious 
promises.  And  these  promises  we  believe,  and  take 
courage. 

So  far  as  I  see,  writing  now  on  the  eve  of  the  77th 
anniversary  of  my  birthday,  my  life's  work  is  done. 
Maybe  our  dear  Lord  may  enable  m.e  to  render  some 
little  service  yet  before  He  calls  me  home  from  this 
land  of  pilgrimage,  but  my  thoughts  are  directed  to 
the  mansions  above.  He  will  provide  for  the  cause 
in  which  He  was  pleased  to  use  my  life,  and  I  have 
no  fear  in  regard  to  its  ultimate  success.  And  I  have 
no  fears,  poor  sinner  that  I  am,  in  regard  to  my  eternal 
future;  for  I  have  a  Mighty  Saviour  who  has  pre- 
pared a  place  for  me,  even  for  me,  in  His  blissful 
mansions.  Trusting  in  the  merits  of  His  blood  that 
was  shed  for  me,  I  have  peace  in  believing.  Thanks 
be  to  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift ;  and  "surely  good- 
ness and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my 
life,  and  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for- 
ever." 

440 


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